Geomys bursarius
plains pocket gopher

Geomys bursarius is found west of the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains, and north from Texas and northeastern Mexico, through the Great Plains and to the Canadian border. (Paradiso, 1975)

Geomys bursarius is found in open to sparsely wooded areas. It prefers deep, sandy, crumbly soils, and its distribution tends to be limited by soil type. Because of this preference, the distribution of Geomys is often patchy, closely tracking the local soils (Heaney and Timm 1985; Paradiso 1975).

Geomys bursarius has short fur, which can vary from a pale brown to black, and is usually paler on the underside (Paradiso 1975). As in other members of the family Geomyidae, the skull of G. bursarius is heavily reinforced, and it has strong jaw muscles. The tail is long, with little hair (MacDonald 1984). Foreclaws are large and grow rapidly. The body is 187-357 mm long, and the tail is 51-107 mm long (Whitaker 1997). (MacDonald, 1984; Whitaker, 1997)

The sex ratio of pocket gophers is often skewed, with 3-4 times as many females as males. Male reproductive success is highly variable, with a small number of the males mating with a majority of the females (MacDonald 1984). Females can reach sexual maturity in the year of their birth, but males do not until the following year (MacDonald 1984). Mating begins in very early spring, depending on local climatic conditions. Young are born in early spring through the end of summer in the southern U.S., with the majority of offspring born April-July. There are one to three offspring in a litter. The gestation period is 18-19 days, and the young will stay with the mother for about 2 months (Paradiso 1975).

These animals are solitary and territorial. Males leave their burrows in early spring to mate, but then return to their territory. Territories of males are generally larger than those of females, and boundaries may be contiguous (MacDonald 1984). Pocket gophers fight other pocket gophers unknown to them, and there is male-male aggression during the breeding season (MacDonald 1984; Paradiso 1975). Burrows are relatively shallow in the summer (20-30 cm - Whitaker 1997), and somewhat deeper in the winter. Pocket gopher burrows can be found by piles of earth which are left nearby as the burrow is excavated.

Geomys bursarius is herbivorous and feeds mainly on underground roots or tubers (Paradiso 1975). It also occasionally forages for vegetation above ground (MacDonald 1984). These animals rarely drink water, as they apparently obtain sufficient water from their food (Paradiso 1975).

The burrows of pocket gophers can help to aerate soil, and also provide some flood control by improving drainage (Paradiso 1975).

Pocket gophers are considered pests to agriculture, as well as in suburban lawns (Paradiso 1975).

Geomys bursarius is common within its range.