(Geomys bursarius)
Conservation • Description • Habitat • Ecology • Distribution • Taxonomy
Conservation Status |
|
|||||||
IUCN Red List | LC - Least Concern |
|||||||
NatureServe | N5 - Secure SNR - Unranked |
|||||||
Minnesota | not listed |
|||||||
Description |
||
Plains pocket gopher is a medium-sized rodent well adapted for digging. The body of an adult is compact and The head is broad and flat with a short shout. The bony ridge forming the lower border of the eye socket is widely flared. The eyes are small. The ears are short and hairless. The cheeks are external, fur-lined pouches or “pockets”, which gives this species its common name. They extend backward to the shoulders and are used for carrying food. The two upper incisors are large, protruding, and orange. There are two longitudinal grooves on the front of each upper incisor. The incisors are used for digging. The lips close behind the upper and lower incisors to keep dirt out of the mouth while digging. The fur covering most of the body is is brown to black, shiny, and short. The hairs move easily in either direction, permitting forward and backward movement in the tunnel. The fur on the top of the feet is whitish. The fur on the underside is dull and usually paler. The forelimbs are short and strong and have long, heavy claws. The tail is |
||
Size |
||
Total length: Tail: |
||
Sign |
||
The mound is crescent-, bean-, or kidney-shaped. The texture is fine and there are no large clods of dirt. The hole is off-center and is sealed by a visible dirt plug. The dirt plug is at an angle. Separate feed hole are also made. They are identified by the lack of a dirt mound and a circular band of clipped vegetation within one body length of the hole. |
||
Similar Species |
||
Eastern mole (Scalopus aquaticus) mound is cone-shaped, not kidney shaped. The texture of the dirt in the mound is coarser, with clods of dirt. There is no visible dirt plug. There are usually visible traces of shallow tunnels near the mound. Northern pocket gopher (Thomomys talpoides) is smaller, Woodchuck (Marmota monax) borrow is has a mound of dirt next to an exposed, |
||
Habitat |
||
Formerly tallgrass and midgrass prairie regions and associated open woodlands |
||
Ecology |
||
Behavior |
||
This is a solitary rodent that lives in loose colonies. It is active both day and night. It creates an extensive underground tunnel system. Most tunnels are dug in the spring and fall. The main tunnel and birthing tunnel are below the frost line. Lateral tunnels are shallower. Most digging takes place at night and in twilight. Most tunneling is done in search of food. The animal rarely leaves its tunnel except to eject dirt, breed, or forage. It is territorial but has a small territory. It does not hibernate. |
||
Lifespan |
||
Less than 5 years |
||
Life Cycle |
||
Adults breed in early spring. Gestation is about four to seven weeks. A litter of one to three offspring is born between March and May. The young are evicted from the burrow by late summer. Lifespan is usually less than five years. |
||
Food |
||
Fleshy, underground roots, tubers, and bulbs; succulent stems of young plants, often pulled into the burrow from below by the roots; and small fruits. |
||
Distribution |
||||
Sources Mississippi Valley pocket gopher (G. b. bursarius) is found in all but the northeastern counties. The range of plains pocket gopher (G. b. majusculus) extends into Minnesota only in the southern half of the southern border counties. |
||||
8/22/2022 | ||||
Occurrence |
||||
Common. Agricultural and lawn pest. |
||||
Taxonomy |
|||
Class | Mammalia (mammals) | ||
Subclass | Theria | ||
Infraclass | Eutheria (placental mammals) | ||
Magnorder | Boreoeutheria | ||
Superorder | Euarchontoglires (primates, rodents, and allies) | ||
Order | Rodentiia (rodents) | ||
Suborder | Castorimorpha (beavers, pocket gophers, and allies) | ||
Infraorder | Geomorpha | ||
Superfamily | Geomyoidea | ||
Family |
Geomyidae (pocket gophers) | ||
Subfamily | Geomyinae | ||
Tribe | Geomyini (eastern pocket gophers) | ||
Genus |
Geomys (eastern pocket gophers) | ||
Subordinate Taxa |
|||
Illinois Plains pocket gopher (Geomys bursarius illinoensis) Mississippi Valley pocket gopher (Geomys bursarius bursarius) Missouri pocket gopher (Geomys bursarius missouriensis) plains pocket gopher (Geomys bursarius industrius) plains pocket gopher (Geomys bursarius major) plains pocket gopher (Geomys bursarius majusculus) plains pocket gopher (Geomys bursarius ozarkensis) Wisconsin pocket gopher (Geomys bursarius wisconsinensis) |
|||
Synonyms |
|||
|
|||
Common Names |
|||
plains pocket gopher |
|||
Visitor Photos |
|||||
Share your photo of this mammal. |
|||||
This button not working for you? Simply email us at info@MinnesotaSeasons.com. Attach one or more photos and, if you like, a caption. |
|||||
Kelly Blackledge |
|||||
Bill Reynolds |
|||||
Not often do you find this gopher milling around above ground. |
|||||
MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos |
|||||
Visitor Videos |
|||
Share your video of this mammal. |
|||
This button not working for you? Simply email us at info@MinnesotaSeasons.com. Attach a video, a YouTube link, or a cloud storage link. |
|||
Other Videos |
|||
A plains pocket gopher (Geomys bursarius major) at the WildCare Foundation. Video Ark |
|||
About
Feb 2, 2021 Featured species: A plains pocket gopher (Geomys bursarius major) at the WildCare Foundation. The National Geographic Photo Ark, led by photographer Joel Sartore, is a multiyear effort to document every species living in zoos and wildlife sanctuaries, inspire action through education, and help save wildlife by supporting on-the-ground conservation efforts. Explore the thousands of photos and videos in the Ark to find out more about wildlife around the world and the threats they face in the wild: Instagram: @joelsartore |
|||
Last Updated: