Townsend's pocket gopher (''Thomomys townsendii'') is a species of pocket gopher endemic to the northwestern

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

Description

Townsend's pocket gopher is a relatively large gopher, measuring in total length, including a tail long. Adults weigh between , with males being significantly larger than females. Like other pocket gophers, they have a large head, a short, muscular neck, small eyes and ears, and short legs. The forefeet are large with powerful digging claws, while the hindfeet are stout, with flat soles. There is a fur-lined cheek pouch on either side of the mouth, from which the name "pocket gopher" derives. Females have eight

teat A teat is the projection from the mammary glands of mammals from which milk flows or is ejected for the purpose of feeding young. In many mammals the teat projects from the udder. The number of teats varies by mammalian species and often corr ...

s. The fur is greyish in color over most of the body, but a richer tan on the underparts. There is a patch of white fur on the chin, and some individuals also have white markings on the head. The tail is almost entirely hairless.

Melanistic The term melanism refers to black pigment and is derived from the gr, μελανός. Melanism is the increased development of the dark-colored pigment melanin in the skin or hair. Pseudomelanism, also called abundism, is another variant of pi ...

individuals have also been reported, being almost entirely black in color, apart from white spots on the chin or feet.

Distribution and habitat

Townsend's pocket gopher is found in disjunct populations across southern

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Monta ...

, northern

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

, southeastern

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

, and northeastern

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. They inhabit land with deep, moist soils close to rivers and lakes, occasionally as high as , but more usually in lower valley bottoms. They may also be found in high numbers in artificially irrigated cropland. Their expansion into neighboring areas may be limited by absence of saltgrass, or by competition with

Botta's pocket gopher Botta's pocket gopher (''Thomomys bottae'') is a pocket gopher native to western North America. It is also known in some sources as valley pocket gopher, particularly in California. Both the specific and common names of this species honor Paul-� ...

. Two subspecies are currently recognised: * ''T. t. townsendii'' - Idaho,

Malheur River The Malheur River (local pronunciation: "MAL-hyure") is a tributary of the Snake River in eastern Oregon in the United States. It drains a high desert area, between the Harney Basin and the Blue Mountains and the Snake. Despite the similari ...

and tributaries in Oregon * ''T. t. nevadensis'' - throughout the remainder of the range

Biology and behavior

Townsend's pocket gopher feeds largely on the root-stalks of saltgrass, but also eats other grasses,

alfalfa Alfalfa () (''Medicago sativa''), also called lucerne, is a perennial flowering plant in the legume family Fabaceae. It is cultivated as an important forage crop in many countries around the world. It is used for grazing, hay, and silage, as ...

, and other large rooted plants, including agricultural crops such as

potato The potato is a starchy food, a tuber of the plant ''Solanum tuberosum'' and is a root vegetable native to the Americas. The plant is a perennial in the nightshade family Solanaceae. Wild potato species can be found from the southern Uni ...

es. Common predators include

barn owl The barn owl (''Tyto alba'') is the most widely distributed species of owl in the world and one of the most widespread of all species of birds, being found almost everywhere except for the polar and desert regions, Asia north of the Himala ...

s, and the gopher is also considered to be the primary host of the

chewing louse The Mallophaga are a possibly paraphyletic section of lice Louse ( : lice) is the common name for any member of the clade Phthiraptera, which contains nearly 5,000 species of wingless parasitic insects. Phthiraptera has variously been re ...

''Geomydoecus idahoensis''. Breeding probably occurs around January or February, and litters average seven young. Mating is promiscuous, and based on female choice. Hybrids between Townsend's and Botta's pocket gophers have been reported. Like other pocket gophers, Townsend's species spends most of its adult life underground. Burrows are wide, and are marked on the surface by numerous mounds of excavated soil. The entrances to the tunnels are normally kept blocked with soil to prevent access by predators. Individuals are solitary outside of the breeding season.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q45595

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. Ad ...

Endemic fauna of the United States Mammals of the United States Rodents of North America Townsend's pocket gophe Fauna of the Western United States

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. Ad ...

Mammals described in 1839 Least concern biota of the United States Taxonomy articles created by Polbot