# Northern Pocket Gopher (*Thomomys talpoides*) The Northern Pocket Gopher is a small, burrowing animal with big cheeks! They use their cheeks to store food and dig tunnels underground where they live and find yummy plants to eat. - **Category:** [Mammals](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/mammal) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low - **Habitat:** Grasslands ![Northern Pocket Gopher](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Thomomys_talpoides.jpg&width=800) Photo: Public domain · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Thomomys_talpoides.jpg) ## Appearance The Northern Pocket Gopher has a compact, robust body covered in brownish-grey to yellowish-brown fur. It features very small eyes and ears, large chisel-like front teeth always visible, and prominent fur-lined cheek pouches on its head. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Animalia - **Phylum:** Chordata - **Class:** Mammalia - **Order:** Rodentia - **Family:** Geomyidae - **Genus:** Thomomys ## Interesting facts - Each gopher lives all alone in a vast, secret tunnel system that can span hundreds of feet! - Gophers can create many dirt mounds in a single night, making their presence easily known above ground! - Their front teeth never stop growing, so they must constantly gnaw to keep them from getting too long! - They use their sensitive tails like a 'sixth sense' to help them back up quickly in dark, narrow tunnels! ## Special abilities - **Super Shovel Claws:** Northern Pocket Gopher has powerful front claws that help them dig complex tunnel systems incredibly fast. - **Built-in Shopping Bags:** Northern Pocket Gopher can use its large external fur-lined cheek pouches to carry food back to its burrow. - **Dirt-Proof Chompers:** Northern Pocket Gopher can close its lips behind its incisors, allowing it to dig with its teeth without eating soil. ## Measurements & details - **Length:** 18-33 cm - **Weight:** 0.1-0.5 kg - **Lifespan:** 1-5 years - **Speed:** 5 km/h - **Litter Size:** 3-7 - **Gestation:** 18-20 days ## Diet & Feeding This gopher is a vegetarian, mainly munching on plants found underground! - **Primary Foods:** roots, tubers, bulbs, grasses, forbs - **Foraging Method:** Foraging ## Ecological connections - **Hunts:** [American Badger](https://www.snappit.app/explore/american-badger) (*Taxidea taxus*) — Badgers often dig into gopher tunnels to find them. - **Hunts:** [Coyote](https://www.snappit.app/explore/coyote) (*Canis latrans*) — Coyotes ambush gophers that venture above ground. - **Eaten by:** [Great Horned Owl](https://www.snappit.app/explore/great-horned-owl) (*Bubo virginianus*) — These owls hunt gophers, especially at dusk and dawn. - **Eats:** [Gopher Snake](https://www.snappit.app/explore/gopher-snake) (*Pituophis catenifer*) — Snakes can enter gopher burrows to hunt them. ## Traits - [Furry](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/furry): Furry describes animals possessing a dense covering of soft hair or fur. - [Solitary](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/solitary): Solitary animals live alone for most of their lives, only interacting with others for mating or parental care. - [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. ## Collections - [Mammals](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/mammals) ## Safety **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low Don't try to catch a gopher; they are shy and prefer to stay underground. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify Northern 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 Northern Pocket Gopher? 18-33 cm ### How much does Northern Pocket Gopher weigh? 0.1-0.5 kg ### How long does Northern Pocket Gopher live? 1-5 years ### How fast can Northern Pocket Gopher move? 5 km/h ### What does Northern Pocket Gopher eat? This gopher is a vegetarian, mainly munching on plants found underground! ### Where is Northern Pocket Gopher usually found? Grasslands ### How does Northern Pocket Gopher hunt? Foraging ## 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: [Northern Pocket Gopher: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/northern-pocket-gopher)