Mammals
Plains Pocket Gopher
Geomys bursarius · also called plains pocket gophers
A scatter of fan-shaped soil mounds across an open field is often the only visible sign of a plains pocket gopher, an almost entirely underground rodent that spends its life excavating and defending a solitary tunnel system most people never actually see.
Overview
The plains pocket gopher, Geomys bursarius, is a burrowing rodent native to grassland and desert habitat across a broad range spanning the central United States. Its extensive underground tunnel systems, distinctive fan-shaped surface mounds, and external fur-lined cheek pouches make it one of the more specialised subterranean rodents found anywhere in North America.
A life almost entirely out of sight
Rarely glimpsed above ground, the plains pocket gopher reveals its presence mainly through the telltale mounds of excavated soil it leaves behind, evidence of a hidden underground world of tunnels that can stretch for many metres beneath a single field.
Status
Least Concern, remaining widespread and locally abundant across suitable grassland and desert habitat throughout the central United States.
Plains Pocket Gopher: common questions
Why does the plains pocket gopher leave fan-shaped mounds on the surface?
This species pushes excess soil out through side tunnels onto the surface as it excavates its extensive underground burrow system, creating distinctive fan-shaped mounds that mark the presence of tunnels stretching many metres below ground.
What are the plains pocket gopher's cheek pouches for?
This species has external, fur-lined cheek pouches opening near the mouth, used to carry food such as roots and tubers back to storage chambers within its burrow system, allowing it to gather and stockpile food efficiently without frequent trips to the surface.
Does the plains pocket gopher ever come above ground?
Rarely; this species spends nearly its entire life underground, only briefly surfacing to push out excess soil or, occasionally, to find a mate, making direct sightings of a live individual considerably less common than encountering its telltale surface mounds.
Is the plains pocket gopher social?
No, this species is highly solitary, maintaining and defending its own individual tunnel system and generally avoiding contact with other individuals except during breeding, a stark contrast to the more social lifestyles of some other burrowing rodents.