# Botta's Pocket Gopher (*Megascapheus bottae*) Botta's Pocket Gopher is a small, burrowing animal that lives underground. They have big cheek pouches to carry food and are great diggers, making tunnels in the soil. - **Category:** [Mammals](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/mammal) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low - **Snaps:** 2 - **Habitat:** Grasslands ![Botta's Pocket Gopher](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Thomomys_bottae.jpg&width=800) Photo: National Park Service, Public domain · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Thomomys_bottae.jpg) ## Appearance The Botta's Pocket Gopher is a stocky rodent with short legs, a small head, and a short, sparsely haired tail. It has yellowish-brown to dark brown fur, often matching its local soil, and distinctive external, fur-lined cheek pouches on each side of its mouth. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Animalia - **Phylum:** Chordata - **Class:** Mammalia - **Order:** Rodentia - **Family:** Geomyidae - **Genus:** Thomomys ## Interesting facts - A single gopher can move a ton of soil in just one year! - Gophers build special 'pantry' tunnels just for storing extra food! - Their front teeth grow constantly, just like human fingernails! - They can run backward almost as fast as they can run forward! ## Special abilities - **Pocket Power:** Botta's Pocket Gopher can carry large amounts of food in its external, fur-lined cheek pouches that helps them transport provisions back to their burrows. - **Earth Mover:** Botta's Pocket Gopher can dig elaborate tunnel systems rapidly with its strong front claws and powerful teeth, which helps them create homes and find food underground. - **Self-Sealing Mouth:** Botta's Pocket Gopher has lips that can close behind its front teeth, which helps them dig without swallowing soil. ## Measurements & details - **Length:** 15-25 cm - **Weight:** 0.15-0.25 kg - **Lifespan:** 1-3 years - **Speed:** 8 km/h - **Litter Size:** 1-10 - **Gestation:** 18-19 days ## Diet & Feeding Botta's Pocket Gophers are underground herbivores, mainly munching on roots, tubers, and other plants. - **Primary Foods:** roots, tubers, bulbs, grasses, forbs - **Foraging Method:** Foraging ## Ecological connections - **Eaten by:** [Coyote](https://www.snappit.app/explore/coyote) (*Canis latrans*) — A common predator that digs gophers out of their burrows. - **Eaten by:** [Red-tailed Hawk](https://www.snappit.app/explore/red-tailed-hawk) (*Buteo jamaicensis*) — Hunts gophers when they venture above ground. - **Eaten by:** [Gopher Snake](https://www.snappit.app/explore/gopher-snake) (*Pituophis catenifer*) — Slithers into burrows to hunt gophers underground. - **Eaten by:** [American Badger](https://www.snappit.app/explore/american-badger) (*Taxidea taxus*) — A powerful digger that excavates gophers from their tunnels. ## Traits - [Furry](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/furry): Furry describes animals possessing a dense covering of soft hair or fur. - [Burrowing](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/burrowing): Burrowing animals dig tunnels and chambers in the ground, using these subterranean structures for shelter, hunting, or breeding. - [Grassland](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/grassland): Grassland habitats are terrestrial biomes dominated by grasses and herbaceous plants, supporting a variety of grazing animals. - [Herbivorous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/herbivorous): This trait characterizes organisms whose diet consists entirely or primarily of plant material. - [Keystone Species](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/keystone-species): Describes a species whose presence and role have a disproportionately large effect on its environment. - [Nocturnal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/nocturnal): Nocturnal animals are primarily active during the nighttime hours, typically resting or sleeping during the day. ## Collections - [Mammals](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/mammals) ## Safety **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low It's best to watch these gophers from a distance and not disturb their homes. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify Botta's Pocket Gopher? Compare ears, muzzle, tail, feet and coat markings. Size is hard to judge without something nearby for scale, and young mammals may not have adult coloring yet. Mammal Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### How long is Botta's Pocket Gopher? 15-25 cm ### How much does Botta's Pocket Gopher weigh? 0.15-0.25 kg ### How long does Botta's Pocket Gopher live? 1-3 years ### How fast can Botta's Pocket Gopher move? 8 km/h ### What does Botta's Pocket Gopher eat? Botta's Pocket Gophers are underground herbivores, mainly munching on roots, tubers, and other plants. ### Where is Botta's Pocket Gopher usually found? Grasslands ### How does Botta's Pocket Gopher hunt? Foraging ## Where to spot - [Benicia Arsenal](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/benicia-arsenal) — California, US · Historic Site - [San Francisco Botanical Garden](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/san-francisco-botanical-garden) — California, US · Botanical Garden ## More Mammals - [Eastern Fox Squirrel](https://www.snappit.app/explore/eastern-fox-squirrel) (*Sciurus niger*) - [Eastern Cottontail](https://www.snappit.app/explore/eastern-cottontail) (*Sylvilagus floridanus*) - [Eastern Chipmunk](https://www.snappit.app/explore/eastern-chipmunk) (*Tamias striatus*) - [California Ground Squirrel](https://www.snappit.app/explore/california-ground-squirrel) (*Otospermophilus beecheyi*) --- Source: [Botta's Pocket Gopher: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/bottas-pocket-gopher)