The tropical pocket gopher (''Geomys tropicalis'') is a species of

rodent Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the order Rodentia (), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal species are rodents. They are na ...

in the family Geomyidae. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

. Its natural habitat is hot deserts. It is threatened by

habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

Description

The tropical pocket gopher is cinnamon to brown on its back and head. Its underparts have white fur, and its tail is mostly naked. They have large front feet, along with small eyes and a thick body. Males are on average larger than females.

Distribution and habitat

The distribution of the tropical pocket gopher is restricted to a small area of the

Veracruz moist forests The Veracruz moist forests ( es, Bosques húmedos de Veracruz) is a tropical moist broadleaf forests ecoregion in eastern Mexico. Geography The Veracruz moist forests cover an area of , occupying a portion of Mexico's Gulf Coastal Plain betwee ...

, near the southeastern corner of

Tamaulipas Tamaulipas (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Tamaulipas ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Tamaulipas), is a state in the northeast region of Mexico; one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Federal Entiti ...

, Mexico.

Genetics

The tropical pocket gopher has a diploid number of 38. This is low compared to similar species. This could help them adapt to their restricted habitat. Since their numbers are low there is a high risk of them losing too much

genetic variability Genetic variability is either the presence of, or the generation of, genetic differences. It is defined as "the formation of individuals differing in genotype, or the presence of genotypically different individuals, in contrast to environmentally i ...

to survive.Davis et al. 1971. Chromosomal studies of Geomys. Jour. Mammal.52:617-620.

References

Tropical Pocket Gopher Endemic mammals of Mexico Veracruz moist forests Natural history of Tamaulipas Critically endangered animals Critically endangered biota of Mexico Mammals described in 1915 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Geomyidae-stub