A brown, 5-6 1/2" tunneling rodent with long claws on its front paws and a short tail. This gopher's pockets are big storage pouches in its cheeks.
Importance in the Web of Life:
Scientists have found that sites with pocket gophers have a higher diversity of prairie plants because of the gophers' network of underground tunnels.
Cool Facts:
Pocket gophers are solitary, except when they mate. Since males are too big to fit in the females' burrows, females can choose when, where and with whom they mate.
Threats:
The loss of habitat-open grasslands-to human development, plowing for farming and natural conifer encroachment all threaten the pocket gopher. Deliberate poisoning and the use of pesticides and herbicides also put the gophers in danger.
Where in Washington Can I See One?
Pocket gophers are very hard to see because they are rare, shy and live underground. But look for their mounds. Gopher mounds are kidney-shaped, while mole hills look more like little volcanoes.
What Can I Do to Help?
Help organizations such as The Nature Conservancy protect the pocket gopher's threatened prairie habitat in Washington.
