Pocket gophers, commonly referred to simply as gophers, are

burrowing An Eastern chipmunk at the entrance of its burrow A burrow is a hole or tunnel excavated into the ground by an animal to construct a space suitable for habitation or temporary refuge, or as a byproduct of locomotion. Burrows provide a form of s ...

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 n ...

s of the family Geomyidae. The roughly 41 speciesSearch results for "Geomyidae" on th
ASM Mammal Diversity Database
are all

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 else ...

to North and Central America. They are commonly known for their extensive tunneling activities and their ability to destroy farms and gardens. The name "pocket gopher" on its own may refer to any of a number of genera within the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Geomyidae. These are the "true" gophers, but several

ground squirrel Ground squirrels are members of the squirrel family of rodents ( Sciuridae), which generally live on or in the ground, rather than trees. The term is most often used for the medium-sized ground squirrels, as the larger ones are more commonly known ...

s in the distantly related family

Sciuridae Squirrels are members of the family Sciuridae, a family that includes small or medium-size rodents. The squirrel family includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels (including chipmunks and prairie dogs, among others), and flying squirrels. Squ ...

are often called "gophers", as well. The origin of the word "gopher" is uncertain; the French ''gaufre'', meaning

waffle A waffle is a dish made from leavened batter or dough that is cooked between two plates that are patterned to give a characteristic size, shape, and surface impression. There are many variations based on the type of waffle iron and recipe use ...

, has been suggested, on account of the gopher tunnels resembling the

honeycomb A honeycomb is a mass of hexagonal prismatic wax cells built by honey bees in their nests to contain their larvae and stores of honey and pollen. Beekeepers may remove the entire honeycomb to harvest honey. Honey bees consume about of honey ...

-like pattern of holes in a waffle; another suggestion is that the word is of

Muskogean Muskogean (also Muskhogean, Muskogee) is a Native American language family spoken in different areas of the Southeastern United States. Though the debate concerning their interrelationships is ongoing, the Muskogean languages are generally div ...

origin.

Description

Gophers weigh around , and are about in body length, with a tail long. A few species reach weights approaching . Within any species, the males are larger than the females, and can be nearly double their weight. Average lifespans are one to three years. The maximum lifespan for the pocket gopher is about five years. Some gophers, such as those in the

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

Geomys The genus ''Geomys'' contains 12 species of pocket gophersSearch results for "''Geomys''" on thASM Mammal Diversity Database often collectively referred to as the eastern pocket gophers. Like all pocket gophers, members of this genus are fossori ...

'', have lifespans that have been documented as up to seven years in the wild. Most gophers have brown fur that often closely matches the color of the

soil Soil, also commonly referred to as earth or dirt Dirt is an unclean matter, especially when in contact with a person's clothes, skin, or possessions. In such cases, they are said to become dirty. Common types of dirt include: * Debri ...

in which they live. Their most characteristic features are their large

cheek The cheeks ( la, buccae) constitute the area of the face below the eyes and between the nose and the left or right ear. "Buccal" means relating to the cheek. In humans, the region is innervated by the buccal nerve. The area between the insi ...

pouches, from which the word "pocket" in their name derives. These pouches are fur-lined, can be turned inside out, and extend from the side of the mouth well back onto the shoulders. Gophers have small eyes and a short, hairy tail, which they use to feel around tunnels when they walk backwards. Pocket gophers have often been found to carry external

parasites Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives on or inside another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life. The entomologist E. O. Wilson ha ...

. Common predators of the gopher include

weasel Weasels are mammals of the genus ''Mustela'' of the family Mustelidae. The genus ''Mustela'' includes the least weasels, polecats, stoats, ferrets and European mink. Members of this genus are small, active predators, with long and slender b ...

snake Snakes are elongated, limbless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes . Like all other squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales. Many species of snakes have skulls with several more j ...

s, and hawks.

Behavior

All pocket gophers create a network of

tunnel A tunnel is an underground passageway, dug through surrounding soil, earth or rock, and enclosed except for the entrance and exit, commonly at each end. A pipeline is not a tunnel, though some recent tunnels have used immersed tube cons ...

systems that provide protection and a means of collecting food. They are larder hoarders, and their cheek pouches are used for transporting food back to their burrows. Gophers can collect large hoards. Unlike

s, gophers do not live in large communities and seldom find themselves above ground. Tunnel entrances can be identified by small piles of loose soil covering the opening. Burrows are in many areas where the soil is softer and easily tunneled. Gophers often visit vegetable gardens, lawns, or farms, as they like moist soil (see

Soil biomantle The soil biomantle can be described and defined in several ways. Most simply, the soil biomantle is the organic-rich bioturbated upper part of the soil, including the topsoil where most biota live, reproduce, die, and become assimilated. The biomant ...

). This has led to their frequent treatment as

pests PESTS was an anonymous American activist group formed in 1986 to critique racism, tokenism, and exclusion in the art world. PESTS produced newsletters, posters, and other print material highlighting examples of discrimination in gallery represent ...

. Gophers eat plant roots, shrubs, and other vegetables such as carrots, lettuce, radishes, and any other vegetables with juice. Some species are considered agricultural pests. The resulting destruction of plant life then leaves the area a stretch of

denuded Denudation is the geological processes in which moving water, ice, wind, and waves erode the Earth's surface, leading to a reduction in elevation and in relief of landforms and landscapes. Although the terms erosion and denudation are used interc ...

soil. At the same time, the soil disturbance created by turning it over can lead to the early establishment of ecological succession in communities of

r-selected In ecology, ''r''/''K'' selection theory relates to the selection of combinations of traits in an organism that trade off between quantity and quality of offspring. The focus on either an increased quantity of offspring at the expense of individ ...

and other ruderal plant species. The stashing and subsequent decomposition of plant material in the gophers' larder can produce deep fertilization of the soil. Pocket gophers are

solitary Solitary is the state of being alone or in solitude. The term may refer to: * shortened form of solitary confinement * Solitary animal, an animal that does not live with others in its species * Solitary but social, a type of social organization ...

outside of the breeding season, aggressively maintaining

territories A territory is an area of land, sea, or space, particularly belonging or connected to a country, person, or animal. In international politics, a territory is usually either the total area from which a state may extract power resources or a ...

that vary in size depending on the resources available. Males and females may share some burrows and nesting chambers if their territories border each other, but in general, each pocket gopher inhabits its own individual tunnel system. Although they attempt to flee when threatened, they may attack other animals, including

cat The cat (''Felis catus'') is a domestic species of small carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species in the family Felidae and is commonly referred to as the domestic cat or house cat to distinguish it from the wild members of ...

s and humans, and can inflict serious bites with their long, sharp teeth. Depending on the species and local conditions, pocket gophers may have a specific annual breeding season, or may breed repeatedly through the year. Each litter typically consists of two to five young, although this may be much higher in some species. The young are born blind and helpless and are

weaned Weaning is the process of gradually introducing an infant human or another mammal to what will be its adult diet while withdrawing the supply of its mother's milk. The process takes place only in mammals, as only mammals produce milk. The infan ...

when around 40 days old.

Control

''Geomys'' and ''Thomomys'' species are classed as "prohibited new organisms" under New Zealand's

Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act 1996 The Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act (HSNO) is an Act of Parliament passed in New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North I ...

, preventing them from being imported into the country.

Classification

Much debate exists among

taxonomists In biology, taxonomy () is the scientific study of naming, defining ( circumscribing) and classifying groups of biological organisms based on shared characteristics. Organisms are grouped into taxa (singular: taxon) and these groups are given ...

about which races of pocket gophers should be recognized as full species, and the following list cannot be regarded as definitive. * Family Geomyidae ** Genus ''

Cratogeomys ''Cratogeomys'' is a genus 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 al ...

''; some authors treat this genus as a subgenus of ''

Pappogeomys Buller's pocket gopher (''Pappogeomys bulleri'') is a species of gopher that is endemic to Mexico. It is monotypic within the genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil or ...

''. ***

Yellow-faced pocket gopher The yellow-faced pocket gopher (''Cratogeomys castanops'') is a species of pocket gopher that is native to shortgrass prairies in the south-western United States and northern Mexico. It is the species that lives north of the Southern Coahuila Fi ...

(''Cratogeomys castanops'') ***

Oriental Basin pocket gopher The Oriental Basin pocket gopher (''Cratogeomys fulvescens'') is a species of pocket gopher which is endemic to Mexico. It was first described in 1895 by Clinton Hart Merriam. It was considered to be a subspecies of Merriam's pocket gopher ('' ...

(''C. fulvescens'') ***

Smoky pocket gopher The smoky pocket gopher (''Cratogeomys fumosus'') is a species of rodent in the family Geomyidae. It is endemic to Mexico (Querétaro). Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland. Molecular phylogenetics Molecular phy ...

(''C. fumosus'') ***

Goldman's pocket gopher Goldman's pocket gopher, (''Cratogeomys goldmani'') is a species of rodent in the pocket gopher family. It is distributed throughout northern Mexico Mexico (Spanish language, Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a L ...

(''C. goldmani'') ***

Merriam's pocket gopher Merriam's pocket gopher (''Cratogeomys merriami'') is a species of rodent in the family Geomyidae. It is endemic to Mexico, where it is found in the area of the Valley of Mexico and the Valley of Toluca at elevations from 1800 to 4000 m. Its fav ...

(''C. merriami'') ***

Perote pocket gopher The Perote pocket gopher (''Cratogeomys perotensis''), or Cofre de Perote pocket gopher, is a species of pocket gopher in the family Geomyidae. Range Endemic to Mexico, it is found in the mountains from southern Hildalgo south through Puebla ...

(''C. perotensis'') *** Volcan de Toluca Pocket Gopher (''C. planiceps)'' ** Genus ''

'' – eastern pocket gophers; principally live in the southwestern United States, east of the Sierra Nevada mountains ***

Desert pocket gopher The desert pocket gopher (''Geomys arenarius'') is a species of rodent in the family Geomyidae. It is found in the state of Chihuahua in Mexico and in Texas and New Mexico in the United States. Description ''Geomys arenarius'' is a medium si ...

(''Geomys arenarius'') *** Attwater's pocket gopher (''G. attwateri'') ***

Baird's pocket gopher Baird's pocket gopher or the Louisiana pocket gopher (''Geomys breviceps'')Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. "Geomys breviceps." North American Mammals. 2009. 7 May 2009/ref> is a species of pocket gopher that is native to the sout ...

(''G. breviceps'') ***

Plains pocket gopher The plains pocket gopher (''Geomys bursarius'') is one of 35 species of pocket gophers, so named in reference to their externally located, fur-lined cheek pouches. They are burrowing animals, found in grasslands and agricultural land across the ...

(''G. bursarius'') *** Hall's Pocket Gopher (''G. jugossicularis)'' ***

Knox Jones's pocket gopher Knox Jones's pocket gopher (''Geomys knoxjonesi'') is a species of pocket gopher found in Texas and New Mexico. This species is named for Dr. J. Knox Jones Jr. (1929–1992), a prolific mammalogist at Texas Tech University. It is a relatively s ...

(''G. knoxjonesi'') ***

Sand Hills Pocket Gopher Sand is a granular material composed of finely divided mineral particles. Sand has various compositions but is defined by its grain size. Sand grains are smaller than gravel and coarser than silt. Sand can also refer to a soil texture, textur ...

(''G. lutescens)'' *** Texas pocket gopher (''G. personatus'') ***

Southeastern pocket gopher The southeastern pocket gopher (''Geomys pinetis'') is a species of pocket gopher that is native to the southeastern United States. It occurs in Alabama, Georgia, and Florida, where it is the only pocket gopher. Description The southeastern po ...

(''G. pinetis'') *** Strecker's Pocket Gopher (''G. streckeri)'' ***

Central Texas pocket gopher The central Texas pocket gopher or Llano pocket gopher (''Geomys texensis'') is a species of rodent in the family Geomyidae. It is endemic to central Texas in the United States. Description The central Texas pocket gopher is very similar in ap ...

(''G. texensis'') *** Tropical pocket gopher (''G. tropicalis'') ** Genus ''

Heterogeomys ''Heterogeomys'' is a genus of rodent in the family Geomyidae, found in Mexico, Central America and Colombia. ''Heterogeomys'' are a small genus of rodents commonly known as pocket gophers, though the term applies to all genera within the fami ...

'' – giant pocket gophers or taltuzas; live in Mexico, Central America, and Colombia; some authors treat this genus as a subgenus of ''

Orthogeomys The giant pocket gopher (''Orthogeomys grandis'') is a species of rodent in the family Geomyidae. It is found in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras. It is the type species of the genus ''Orthogeomys''; some zoologists also include in ...

''. *** Chiriqui pocket gopher (''Heterogeomys cavator'') *** Cherrie's pocket gopher (''H. cherriei'') ***

Darien pocket gopher The Darien pocket gopher (''Heterogeomys dariensis'') is a species of rodent in the family Geomyidae. It is occurs in Panama and Colombia. Some authors classify it in the genus ''Orthogeomys'', but recent research has allowed this and its relat ...

(''H. dariensis'') *** Variable pocket gopher (''H. heterodus'') *** Hispid pocket gopher (''H. hispidus'') *** Big pocket gopher (''H. lanius'') *** Underwood's pocket gopher (''H. underwoodi'') ** Genus ''

''; live in Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico; *** Giant pocket gopher (''O. grandis'') ** Genus ''

''; live in Mexico *** Buller's pocket gopher (''P. bulleri'') ** Genus '' Thomomys'' – western pocket gophers; widely distributed in North America, extending into the northwestern US, Canada, and the southeastern US. *** Black-and-Brown Pocket Gopher (''T. atrovarius)'' *** Botta's pocket gopher (''T. bottae'') *** Camas pocket gopher (''T. bulbivorus'') *** Wyoming pocket gopher (''T. clusius'') ***

Idaho pocket gopher The Idaho pocket gopher (''Thomomys idahoensis'') is a species of rodent in the family Geomyidae. It is rather small, with a lightly built skull. Its fur color varies through the body and between individuals. Found in the western United States, ...

(''T. idahoensis'') ***

Mazama pocket gopher The Mazama pocket gopher (''Thomomys mazama'') is a smooth-toothed pocket gopher restricted to the Pacific Northwest. The herbivorous species ranges from coastal Washington, through Oregon, and into north-central California. Four subspecies of th ...

(''T. mazama'') *** Mountain pocket gopher (''T. monticola'') *** Nayar Pocket Gopher (''T. nayarensis)'' *** Sierra Madre Occidental Pocket Gopher (''T. sheldoni)'' *** Northern pocket gopher (''T. talpoides'') ***

Townsend's pocket gopher Townsend's pocket gopher (''Thomomys townsendii'') is a species of pocket gopher endemic to the northwestern United States. Description Townsend's pocket gopher is a relatively large gopher, measuring in total length, including a tail long. A ...

(''T. townsendii'') ***

Southern pocket gopher The southern pocket gopher (''Thomomys umbrinus'') is a species of rodent in the family Geomyidae. It is found in Mexico and the United States, usually in high altitude grassland and shrubland. It feeds on plant material and has an extensive burr ...

(''T. umbrinus'') ** Genus ''

Zygogeomys The Michoacan pocket gopher (''Zygogeomys trichopus'') is a species of rodent in the family Geomyidae. It is monotypic within the genus ''Zygogeomys''. It is endemic to Mexico where its natural habitat is temperate, high-altitude forests. Its nu ...

'' *** Michoacan pocket gopher (''Zygogeomys trichopus'') Some sources also list a genus '' Hypogeomys'', with one species, but this genus name is normally used for the Malagasy giant rat, which belongs to the family

Nesomyidae The Nesomyidae are a family of African rodents in the large and complex superfamily Muroidea. It includes several subfamilies, all of which are native to either continental Africa or to Madagascar. Included in this family are Malagasy rodents, ...

In popular culture

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

is nicknamed the "Gopher State", and the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public land-grant research university in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. ...

's athletics teams are collectively known as the

Golden Gophers The Minnesota Golden Gophers (commonly shortened to Gophers) are the college athletics, college sports teams of the University of Minnesota. The university fields a total of 25 (12 men's, 13 women's) teams in both men's and women's sports and com ...

, led by mascot Goldy Gopher. * Internet

Gopher protocol The Gopher protocol () is a communication protocol designed for distributing, searching, and retrieving documents in Internet Protocol networks. The design of the Gopher protocol and user interface is menu-driven, and presented an alternative to ...

was created at the

. *

Gainer the Gopher Gainer the Gopher is the mascot of the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League. The Gainer costume is modelled after the Richardson's ground squirrel, commonly referred to as a "gopher" in many parts of North America. He is from ...

is the

mascot A mascot is any human, animal, or object thought to bring luck, or anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name. Mascots are also used as fi ...

of the

Saskatchewan Roughriders The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a professional Canadian football team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Roughriders compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division. The Roughriders were founded in ...

in the Canadian Football League. * A gopher puppet is featured prominently in the film ''

Caddyshack ''Caddyshack'' is a 1980 American sports comedy film directed by Harold Ramis, written by Brian Doyle-Murray, Ramis and Douglas Kenney, and starring Chevy Chase, Rodney Dangerfield, Ted Knight, Michael O'Keefe and Bill Murray with supporting ...

'' and the sequel. * The mascot of the Go programming language is the Go Gopher. *

Gordon the Gopher Gordon the Gopher, also known as Gordon T. Gopher, is an English puppet gopher who first appeared on Children's BBC (CBBC) between 1985 and 1987, listed on television shows by Phillip Schofield on the interstitial or in-vision continuity pro ...

is an English puppet gopher that appeared on

Children's BBC BBC Children's and Education is the BBC division responsible for media content for children in the UK. Since the launch of specially dedicated television channels in 2002, the services have been marketed under two brands. CBBC (short for Chi ...

between 1985 and 1987. *

Gopher Pocket gophers, commonly referred to simply as gophers, are burrowing rodents of the family Geomyidae. The roughly 41 speciesSearch results for "Geomyidae" on thASM Mammal Diversity Database are all endemic to North and Central America. They are ...

is a character in the Disney cartoon adaptations of the children's book ''

Winnie-the-Pooh Winnie-the-Pooh, also called Pooh Bear and Pooh, is a fictional anthropomorphic teddy bear created by English author A. A. Milne and English illustrator E. H. Shepard. The first collection of stories about the character was the book ''Win ...

''. * Mexican Liga MX club C. F. Pachuca is officially nicknamed ''Los Tuzos'' as tuza is Spanish for gopher which is also the team's mascot

References

External links

Article on the Animal Diversity Web site
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gopher Mammals of North America Rodents of Central America Mammals of Canada Mammals of Mexico Mammals of the United States Agricultural pests Fauna of the Western United States Fauna of the California chaparral and woodlands Rodents by common name Extant Eocene first appearances Taxa named by Charles Lucien Bonaparte