The southern pocket gopher (''Thomomys umbrinus'') is a species of

rodent Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the Order (biology), order Rodentia ( ), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and Mandible, lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal specie ...

in the family Geomyidae. It is found in

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

and the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, usually in high altitude grassland and shrubland. It feeds on plant material and has an extensive burrow above which is a large heap of earth on the surface of the ground.

Description

There are a number of subspecies of the southern pocket gopher and they vary in details of their size, the proportions of their skull and their coloring. Adults are commonly between long, with females being generally smaller than males. The upperparts are cinnamon-brown fading to yellowish-buff on the flanks. There are black-tipped hairs on the head making it appear darker, the ears are black and there is a black patch behind the ear. There is white on the cheeks and throat and the underparts are yellowish-buff. The upper surface of the tail is brown and the underside yellowish-buff except for the tip which is white all round.

Distribution and habitat

The southern pocket gopher is native to Mexico and the extreme southwestern United States. Its range extends from the states of

Puebla Puebla, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Puebla, is one of the 31 states that, along with Mexico City, comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 217 municipalities and its capital is Puebla City. Part of east-centr ...

and

Veracruz Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entit ...

in Mexico northwards to the states of

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

and

New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...

in the United States. Its typical habitat is high altitude grassland and

shrubland Shrubland, scrubland, scrub, brush, or bush is a plant community characterized by vegetation dominance (ecology), dominated by shrubs, often also including grasses, herbaceous plant, herbs, and geophytes. Shrubland may either occur naturally o ...

, and lower altitude desert grassland and woodland. Its presence in an area can be told from the mounds of soil it throws up during its burrowing activities.

Ecology

The southern pocket gopher does not hibernate and is active at most times of day throughout the year. It feeds on plant material which it finds both above and below the surface of the ground. Predators include owls, hawks,

snake Snakes are elongated limbless reptiles of the suborder Serpentes (). Cladistically squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales much like other members of the group. Many species of snakes have s ...

bobcat The bobcat (''Lynx rufus''), also known as the wildcat, bay lynx, or red lynx, is one of the four extant species within the medium-sized wild cat genus '' Lynx''. Native to North America, it ranges from southern Canada through most of the c ...

s, coyotes, weasels and badgers. Life expectancy is probably two to three years. The yellow-nosed cotton rat (''Sigmodon ochrognathus'') often shares its burrow. Breeding takes place at differing times of year in different parts of the range. In Arizona, a single litter of usually four or five (but up to ten) young are born in late winter or early spring.

Status

The southern pocket gopher is plentiful in suitable habitat over most of its range although some populations are small and may come and go. The population trend is unknown but no specific threats have been identified and the

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the status ...

has listed this animal's conservation status as being of "

least concern A least-concern species is a species that has been evaluated and categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as not being a focus of wildlife conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wil ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q45589 Southern Pocket Gopher Rodents of the United States Rodents of Mexico Fauna of the Southwestern United States Southern Pocket Gopher Southern Pocket Gopher Southern Pocket Gopher Southern Pocket Gopher Southern Pocket Gopher Mammals described in 1829 Least concern biota of North America Least concern biota of the United States Taxa named by John Richardson (naturalist) Taxonomy articles created by Polbot