The northern pocket gopher (Thomomys talpoides) is a small gopher species native to the western United States and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, British Columbia, and Manitoba.
Description
Northern pocket gophers have long rich brown to yellowish brown fur, paler below, with a black patch behind the ear. They weigh 60 to 160 grams (2.1 to 5.6 oz).
Habitat
Their habitat consists usually of good soil in meadows or along streams; most often in mountains, but also in lowlands. Northern pocket gophers rarely appear above ground; when they do, they rarely venture more than 2.5 feet (0.76 m) from a burrow entrance. Underground, however, they often have tunnels that extend hundreds of feet where they live, store food, and give birth to their young.
Interactions
According to an article published in the Journal of Mammalogy, there are both positive and negative impacts of burrowing by pocket gophers on the organisms around them. Burrowing and grazing have an impact on the plants and the herbivores that consume these plants, even though gophers do not directly interact with the insects in their habitats. Changes in the plants’ composition can cause an increase in soluble amino acids, carbohydrates, chemicals, which causes the plants to be more vulnerable to parasites, predation, and diseases.
References
- Cassola, F. (2017) . "Thomomys talpoides". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T42597A115193142. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T42597A22215742.en. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
- "Small Mammals of North Dakota - Northern Pocket Gopher Thomomys talpoides". Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center. U.S. Geological Survey. 3 August 2006. Archived from the original on 22 May 2012.
- D. Gigi Ostrow; Nancy Huntly; Richard S. Inouye (November 2002). "Plant-Mediated Interactions Between the Northern Pocket Gopher, Thomomys Talpoides, and Aboveground Herbivorous Insects". Journal of Mammalogy. 83 (4): 991–998. doi:10.1644/1545-1542(2002)083<0991:PMIBTN>2.0.CO;2.
| Extant species of family Geomyidae (Pocket gophers) | |||||
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| Cratogeomys | |||||
| Geomys (Eastern pocket gophers) |
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| Heterogeomys | |||||
| Orthogeomys | |||||
| Pappogeomys | |||||
| Thomomys (Smooth-toothed pocket gophers) |
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| Zygogeomys | |||||
| Category | |||||
| Taxon identifiers | |
|---|---|
| Thomomys talpoides |
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