I plucked a shrub and saw a sausage-shaped rodent. A pocket gopher?
Pocket gophers spend the majority of their lives underground. There are some 38 species discovered throughout a broad swath of north and central America. In lots of locations, theyre abundant. And yet, many individuals have actually never seen one.
Magnificently adjusted to life underground, the pocket gopher seemed oblivious to above-ground happenings. I d be able to delight in observing the gopher forage on fresh green turf for the next 20 minutes.
I was lost in my ideas on a current gray, gloomy day when I heard rustling. Right away I was out of my head and into the (literal) weeds. The creature moved brush just a couple of feet away, and I could instantly inform it wasnt a bird.
Ive been frequently strolling the Boise River greenbelt– a 25-mile course that runs through Boise, Idaho– for more than 2 decades. Among the reasons is that I so frequently see fascinating wildlife. Here was a new experience: the opportunity to observe a gopher, at close range and above ground.
The “Elusive” Gopher
Those little nubs of ears and almost non-existent eyes stuck out. At times the gopher would move an inch from my hand, and do a little dive, as if it thought something amiss.
I have. Its fun to do. But you will have only a brief look before the gopher is and plugs the mound out of sight.
Even after a life time of looking at wildlife, there are still surprises, even in the local area. Keep an eye out when you see churned-up mounds of earth.
You will not discover an entryway to the mound, which differentiates the pocket gopher from ground squirrels, voles and many other burrowing mammals.
In reality, its hard to see a living gopher, although theyre discovered in a wide swath of the continent from Canada to southern Mexico. While you may not see one running around your yard, it is quite simple to identify if you have pocket gophers living nearby. They leave very unique, bare-earth mounds. In locations where they are active and abundant, these mounds are extremely noticeable. The fresh ones are topped with extremely loose, almost-fluffy earth.
Gophers are normally abhored by farmers, garden enthusiasts and lawn owners. Those mounds are unpleasant and can be devastating to crops. I ought to likewise explain that, in natural ecosystems, gophers play an essential role; their burrowing aerates soil, lowering compaction and erosion.
Still, many of the details you find about gophers is how to eliminate them. Pocket gophers rate pretty short on the “charismatic animals” scale.
I write about numerous wildlife activities that will earn you odd appearances from the neighbors. Gopher finding is near the top of that list. Last year, there was a spot at a local play ground that had Townsends pocket gophers. I took several traveling mammal lovers– no, Im not making this story up– to the play ground to see this species.
They have super-sensitive hairs and tail, that enable them to work out the dark tunnels. Their tail is so sensitive in detecting the sides of tunnels that they can run in reverse practically as fast as they can forward.
Pocket gophers have little factor to go above ground. Theyre antisocial and rarely leave their own burrow system. At times you get fortunate.
A Lot Of North Americans have become aware of gophers. If youre of a certain age, the first image that comes to mind is probably the elusive “varmint” that outsmarts Bill Murray in Caddyshack. The gopher doesnt look just like the furry animal in that motion picture. Many individuals also use the “gopher” term as a catch-all for ground-dwelling rodents like ground squirrels and voles.
Quality Time with Gophers.
I was surprised by how smooth this northern pocket gopher– determined by its gray pelage and black spot by its ears– looked. The gophers Ive seen churning soil looked appropriately unclean.
Gopher Spotting
The possibility to sit with a gopher is, if youre a certain type of individual, a real reward.
Still, it works and if you desire to see a pocket gopher, this is one method to do it.
They have little ears and eyes, because they have little usage for them. (This is why I was able to sneak so close to the above-ground gopher).
I can guarantee you that walking the fringes of a city park with video cameras and broomsticks, while staring down holes, is a sure ticket to be the highlighted attraction of a Nextdoor app conspiracy theory. Hostile next-door neighbors emerged to require what was going on, and Im not exactly sure that “recreational gopher finding” was a satisfying response.
Even pocket gophers come above ground periodically. According to the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, male gophers will leave burrows to search for mates and youngsters will leave when its time to disperse.
Theres a tactic that consumed mammal watchers utilize to dependably find gophers, a strategy I discussed formerly. Generally, you discover a fresh gopher mound and poke a hole in the loose earth. The gopher is light sensitive and will typically rapidly transfer to plug up the hole. This can offer surprisingly great views, allowing skilled mammal enthusiasts to even determine the species of gopher.
You might just see the mound of soil, but below the earth is a large tunnel with chambers for specific functions. They essentially have different “spaces” that act as a nursery, a kitchen area and, yes, a restroom.
Pocket gophers have super-sized cheek pouches (thus their name). These fur-lined pouches are utilized to gather large quantities of plant material. They can be turned inside out for cleansing. They also fold in behind the pocket gophers big incisors. This method, when the gopher is burrowing through the earth, it can use its teeth as tools without getting soil in its mouth.
While you might not see one running around your lawn, it is pretty easy to identify if you have pocket gophers living close by. Pocket gophers have little reason to go above ground. Even pocket gophers come above ground occasionally. Last year, there was a spot at a regional play ground that had Townsends pocket gophers. I was shocked by how smooth this northern pocket gopher– recognized by its gray pelage and black area by its ears– looked.