Smooth-toothed pocket gopher facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Smooth-toothed pocket gophersTemporal range: Early Pliocene - Recent
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| Thomomys bottae | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Geomyidae Russell, 1968 |
| Genus: | Thomomys Wied-Neuwied, 1839 |
| Species | |
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Thomomys talpoides |
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The smooth-toothed pocket gophers, also known by their scientific name Thomomys, are a special type of pocket gopher. They get their name because their front teeth (called incisors) are smooth, unlike most other gophers that have grooves on their teeth. You can find these gophers in western North America, which is why they are sometimes called western pocket gophers. Scientists think they are quite different from other gophers, so they are placed in their own special group.
Contents
Life Underground: Natural History
Thomomys gophers are amazing diggers! They spend most of their lives underground, creating complex tunnels. They use their strong front teeth a lot for digging, even more than some other gophers. These gophers eat plants, mostly roots, stems, leaves, and bulbs that they find underground. Sometimes, they come above ground at night to find food. When they are not digging in farm fields, they actually help humans by making the soil richer and stopping water from running off too quickly.
Meet the Species: Types of Gophers
There are many different kinds of smooth-toothed pocket gophers. Scientists have described over a hundred types, but not all of them are officially recognized today. Like many animals that live underground, Thomomys gophers show a lot of variation depending on where they live. This means that gophers from different areas might look or act a little different from each other.
Here are some of the main species of Thomomys:
- Thomomys
- Subgenus Megascapheus
- Thomomys bottae - Botta's pocket gopher
- Thomomys bulbivorus - Camas pocket gopher
- Thomomys townsendii - Townsend's pocket gopher
- Thomomys umbrinus - Southern pocket gopher
- Subgenus Thomomys
- Thomomys clusius - Wyoming pocket gopher
- Thomomys idahoensis - Idaho pocket gopher
- Thomomys mazama - Mazama pocket gopher (this includes a type that is now extinct, the Tacoma pocket gopher)
- Thomomys monticola - Mountain pocket gopher
- Thomomys talpoides - Northern pocket gopher
- Subgenus Megascapheus
Gopher Features: General Characteristics
Smooth-toothed pocket gophers are rodents that belong to the family Geomyidae. What makes them special is their smooth upper incisors, which don't have the grooves you see on other gopher species. All Thomomys gophers have special fur-lined pockets on the outside of their cheeks. They use these pockets like shopping bags to carry food and other materials to and from their underground homes.
Their size can vary, from as small as a mole to as big as a large rat. Their fur can be yellow, grey, brown, or even black. They have sturdy bodies, short legs, short fur, and small eyes and ears. Even though their eyes are small, they are special! They can see light rays that are in the ultraviolet range, which is light humans can't see.
Where They Live: Habitat
You can find Thomomys gophers in southwestern Canada, the western United States, and a large part of Mexico. They love to live in rich, fertile land, often areas used for agriculture. However, they can also be found in many other places. They prefer areas where a lot of plants grow and where the soil has high levels of nitrogen.
What They Eat: Diet
These gophers are herbivores, meaning they only eat plants. They eat a lot of food for their size! This might be because they use a huge amount of energy digging and keeping their complicated tunnel systems in good shape. Digging uses much more energy than moving around above ground.
They mostly eat the underground parts of grasses, forbs (flowering plants that are not grasses), and woody plants. They also look for food above ground, usually close to the entrance of their burrows. They are picky eaters and prefer certain types of plants or parts of plants. This pickiness might help them get enough energy since they spend so much on digging.
How They Act: Behavior and Environmental Effects
Digging Tunnels and Making Mounds
Thomomys pocket gophers live underground and build huge networks of tunnels. As they dig, they push soil from below ground to the surface, creating piles of dirt called mounds. In places where it snows, they also make tunnels through the snow, which are called earthcores. These mounds and earthcores can cover a lot of the ground in areas where gophers are very active.
Their digging and mounds have a big effect on the environment. Mounds are thought to help different kinds of plants grow by giving new plants a place to start, especially those that might not grow well in other areas. The plants on gopher mounds often look different from the plants in the surrounding areas, with more flowering plants and annuals. The soil in the mounds is also different from the soil around it, having a different texture and holding water differently. Scientists are still learning about all the ways this affects the environment.
Gophers and People: Effects on Farms and Land
These gophers can change the soil by affecting the minerals, organic stuff, texture, and how much water it holds. This can be good or bad, depending on the soil and how it's used. In dry areas, these changes can help plants grow better and improve soil quality. They are even thought to help bring back damaged grasslands.
However, gophers are often seen as pests in farm areas and places where people live. They can cause big losses for farmers by eating plant roots or underground crops. Farmers try to control gopher numbers in crop areas using different methods. But in the wild, gophers are usually helpful and their presence is good for the environment.
Managing Gopher Populations
People use different ways to manage gopher populations, especially where they cause problems. These methods include using special chemicals, blasting tunnels with propane, and setting traps. In one park in Penn Valley, CA, they put up owl boxes to encourage barn owls to live there, because barn owls naturally hunt pocket gophers.
Experts suggest using a gopher probe to find the main tunnel. Then, you can use a shovel to make the opening bigger and set traps in opposite directions inside the tunnel. There are different types of traps, like box traps and pincher traps. You don't always need bait, but using things like lettuce or other vegetables can help catch them faster. It's best to cover the traps with canvas or dirt to block out light. If you don't catch anything after two days, it's a good idea to move the traps. Special toxic bait can also be used, but it requires a different way of placing the traps.
Trying to get rid of gophers with gas is usually not very successful because they can quickly seal off their tunnels if they smell fumes. The only exception is a strong chemical called aluminum phosphide, but only trained professionals can use it.
People have also tried using gas explosions or flooding to force gophers out of their burrows. Sometimes these work, but they don't always get rid of all the gophers.
- Nowak, R. M. 1999. Walker's Mammals of the World, Vol. 2. Johns Hopkins University Press, London.
See also
In Spanish: Thomomys para niños
