(Geomys bursarius)
Conservation Status | IUCN Red List |
LC - Least Concern |
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NatureServe |
N5 - Secure SNR - Unranked |
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Minnesota |
not listed |
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Occurrence | Common. Agricultural and lawn pest. |
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Habitat | Formerly tallgrass and midgrass prairie regions and associated open woodlands |
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Lifespan | Less than 5 years |
Photo by Bill Reynolds | |||||
Size | Total length: Tail: |
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Identification | This 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 |
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Sign | Mound |
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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, |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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Distribution | ![]() |
Mississippi Valley pocket gopher (Geomys bursarius 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. |
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Comments |
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Taxonomy | Order: |
Rodentia (rodents) |
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Suborder: |
Myomorpha |
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Superfamily: |
Geomyoidea |
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Family: |
Geomyidae (pocket gophers) |
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Subordinate Taxa | Brazos pocket gopher (Geomys bursarius braznesis) Illinois Plains pocket gopher (Geomys bursarius illinoensis) Mexican pocket gopher (Geomys bursarius mexicanus) Mississippi Valley pocket gopher (Geomys bursarius bursarius) Missouri pocket gopher (Geomys bursarius missouriensis) Oklahoma pocket gopher (Geomys bursarius dutcheri) Ozark pocket gopher (Geomys bursarius ozarkensis) plains pocket gopher (Geomys bursarius alba) plains pocket gopher (Geomys bursarius canadensis) plains pocket gopher (Geomys bursarius fusca) plains pocket gopher (Geomys bursarius halli) plains pocket gopher (Geomys bursarius hylaeus) plains pocket gopher (Geomys bursarius industrius) plains pocket gopher (Geomys bursarius jugossicularis) plains pocket gopher (Geomys bursarius levisagittalis) plains pocket gopher (Geomys bursarius ludemani) plains pocket gopher (Geomys bursarius major) plains pocket gopher (Geomys bursarius majusculus) plains pocket gopher (Geomys bursarius pratincola) plains pocket gopher (Geomys bursarius saccatus) plains pocket gopher (Geomys bursarius terricolus) plains pocket gopher (Geomys bursarius vinaceus) Wisconsin pocket gopher (Geomys bursarius wisconsinensis) Yellow pocket gopher (Geomys bursarius lutescens) |
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Synonyms |
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Common Names |
plains pocket gopher |
Visitor Photos | |||
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Kelly Blackledge | |||
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Bill Reynolds | |||
Not often do you find this gopher milling around above ground. |
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MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos | |||
Mound |
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Visitor Videos | ||
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Other Videos | ||
Max vs Plains Pocket Gopher | lawn tractor trailer Lisa. Best Lawn Mowers |
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About
Published on Aug 11, 2016 Max vs Plains Pocket Gopher |
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