Baird's pocket gopher

Baird's pocket gopher
Conservation status
	; Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Rodentia
Family:	Geomyidae
Genus:	Geomys
Species:	G. breviceps
Binomial name
	Geomys breviceps; Baird, 1855

Last updated April 18, 2024

Baird's pocket gopher or the Louisiana pocket gopher (Geomys breviceps)^[2] is a species of pocket gopher that is native to the southern United States. In total, there are three almost identical species of eastern pocket gopher; Geomys attwateri , G. bursarius , and G. breviceps. G. breviceps is larger in size, G. attwateri is medium-sized and G. bursarius is a bit smaller.^[3] Other than by size variation they are not identifiable by external features. Baird's pocket gophers are small rodents with most of their weight on the top half of their bodies.

Baird's pocket gopher is native to eastern Texas, western Louisiana, eastern Oklahoma and southwestern Arkansas.^[2] It is a burrowing creature, meaning it digs tunnels and generally lives underground, except during the rainy seasons. It has sharp, long, curved front claws designed specifically for digging. Generally, it is safe from predators since it lives underground, though other burrowing rodents such as badgers and long-tailed weasels may pose a threat. Baird's pocket gopher has bacteria in its digestive system, allowing it to digest various grasses and it is able to re-ingest fecal pellets.^[2] It is polygamous and has a high reproductive rate, which is one of the main reasons for its survival. On average, Baird's pocket gopher has two to three babies per litter.^[3] It lives about 1 to 2 years in the wild.^[3]

Description

The pocket gophers are considered to be medium to small in size in the order Rodentia. Baird's pocket gopher has a cylinder shaped body with most of its weight carried near its head. The zygomatic arch is shorter than the width of the mouth, meaning the dorsal of the animal exceeds the jugal bone. The neck is a little thinner but the heaviest part of the body is carried on the back of the head. The eyes are very small and beadlike and the ears are identified only by a meager flap of skin that follows the top of the temple. The cheek pouches are fur-lined and used for transporting food. The body gradually tapers from the head to the tail, widening a little at the thighs.

Short hair covers the body and ranges in color from pale brown to black and is usually paler towards the belly area. The tail is short, thick, and bare with very little hair found at the base and averaging 65 mm (2.6 in) in length. The front feet are used for digging and the feet appear as long curved claws; the rear feet are smaller with an average length of 31 mm (1.2 in). The animals look identical to G. attwateri and G. bursarius. Only genetic testing and range location can distinguish them.^[4] The males have an average weight of 180–200 g (6.3–7.1 oz) and a cranium length of 19 mm (0.75 in), while the average weight for females is 120–160 g (4.2–5.6 oz) with a cranium length of 19 mm (0.75 in).

Distribution and habitat

Baird's pocket gopher is commonly located on the Gulf Coastal Plains of eastern Texas in three different soil types. It is found in fine sandy Lufkin as well as in Ochlocknee soil types where the topsoil has a depth of less than 10 centimetres (3.9 in). The third soil type, Wilson sandy loam, becomes hard and compact when it dries, therefore G. breviceps is not inclined to habituate itself in any soil made of dense clay. The species is less likely to be in soil that has a high moisture content.

Baird's pocket gopher lives a solitary life underground with the ability to create burrows, which are its common form of living quarters. The only time a gopher may retreat from its burrow is during wet months, to avoid being flooded out. On average each burrow is 6 cm (2.4 in) in diameter and is found at depths of 10–68 cm (3.9–26.8 in) underground, making it possible for only one adult gopher to occupy a single burrow system. Burrow systems are very complex and range from 55–180 cm (22–71 in) in length. The tunnels meander aimlessly through various feeding areas, which indicates that burrowing is primarily done in the search for food. An average mound created by G. breviceps is about 30 cm × 45 cm (12 in × 18 in) in length, and about 8 cm (3.1 in) in height, and is crescent-shaped. During the winter months, the gopher creates special mounds that contain feeding galleries, a nesting chamber, a "bathroom", and food storage chambers.

Diet

Baird's pocket gopher eats grass, tubers, certain roots, and many other types of plant life.^[2] It burrows underground and while making its nests obtains food from the roots of different plants in its tunnels. The gophers store the food they gather in small pockets that look like black slits called "cheek pouches" on the side of their head, which is where the name "pocket gopher" was thought to arise [Tumlison: 1]. If there is no food where they burrow, they at least tend to try to find food close to where they are nesting; it is rarely seen above ground.^[2] Like other rodents, Baird's Pocket Gopher has gnawing front teeth called incisors, which makes it easier for the animal to dig through dirt and still gather food [Tumlison: 1].

To facilitate the digestion of grasses and other plants, Baird's pocket gophers utilize bacteria in their digestive system, which contains cellulase.^[2] Like other mammals or rodents, Baird's pocket gophers re-ingests fecal pellets, which benefits them during the winter and the rainier seasons of the year. The re-ingestion of fecal pellets increases the efficiency of food utilization, which is useful when plants are scarce in these seasons.^[3]

Related Research Articles

The rodent subfamily Rhizomyinae includes the Asian bamboo rats and certain of the African mole-rats. The subfamily is grouped with the Spalacinae and the Myospalacinae into a family of fossorial muroid rodents basal to the other Muroidea.

Pocket gophers, commonly referred to simply as gophers, are burrowing rodents of the family Geomyidae. The roughly 41 species are all endemic to North and Central America. They are commonly known for their extensive tunneling activities and their ability to destroy farms and gardens.

The blesmols, also known as mole-rats, or African mole-rats, are burrowing rodents of the family Bathyergidae. They represent a distinct evolution of a subterranean life among rodents much like the pocket gophers of North America, the tuco-tucos in South America, or the Spalacidae from Eurasia.

The smooth-toothed pocket gophers, genus Thomomys, are so called because they are among the only pocket gophers without grooves on their incisors. They are also called the western pocket gophers because they are distributed in western North America. They are considered distinct enough from other pocket gophers to be recognized as a separate subfamily or tribe.

Gopherus is a genus of fossorial tortoises commonly referred to as gopher tortoises. The gopher tortoise is grouped with land tortoises that originated 60 million years ago, in North America. A genetic study has shown that their closest relatives are in the Asian genus Manouria. The gopher tortoises live in the southern United States from California's Mojave Desert across to Florida, and in parts of northern Mexico. Gopher tortoises are so named because of some species' habit of digging large, deep burrows. Most notably, Gopherus polyphemus digs burrows which can be up to 40 feet (12 m) in length and 10 feet (3.0 m) in depth. These burrows are used by a variety of other species, including mammals, other reptiles, amphibians, and birds. Gopher tortoises are 20–50 cm (7.9–19.7 in) in length, depending on the species. All six species are found in xeric habitats. Numerous extinct species are known, the oldest dating to the Priabonian stage of the Late Eocene of the United States.

The yellow-faced pocket gopher is a species of pocket gopher that is native to shortgrass prairies in the south-western United States and northern Mexico. It is the species that lives north of the Southern Coahuila Filter-Barrier (SCFB). Among the different species, the yellow-faced pocket gopher has a small to medium-sized skull. The fossil of this genus was recorded from the pre-Pleistocene Benson Beds of Arizona.

The southeastern pocket gopher is a species of pocket gopher that is native to the southeastern United States. It occurs in Alabama, Georgia, and Florida, where it is the only pocket gopher.

The genus Geomys contains 12 species of pocket gophers often collectively referred to as the eastern pocket gophers. Like all pocket gophers, members of this genus are fossorial herbivores.

The desert pocket gopher is a species of rodent in the family Geomyidae. It is found in the state of Chihuahua in Mexico and in Texas and New Mexico in the United States.

The plains pocket gopher is one of 35 species of pocket gophers, so named in reference to their externally located, fur-lined cheek pouches. They are burrowing animals, found in grasslands and agricultural land across the Great Plains of North America, from Manitoba to Texas. Pocket gophers are the most highly fossorial rodents found in North America.

The Texas pocket gopher is a species of rodent in the family Geomyidae. It is found in Tamaulipas in Mexico and in Texas in the United States.

The central Texas pocket gopher or Llano pocket gopher is a species of rodent in the family Geomyidae. It is endemic to central Texas in the United States.

The tropical pocket gopher is a species of rodent in the family Geomyidae. It is endemic to Mexico. Its natural habitat is hot deserts. It is threatened by habitat loss.

Heterogeomys is a genus of rodent in the family Geomyidae, found in Mexico, Central America and Colombia. Heterogeomys are a small genus of rodents commonly known as pocket gophers, though the term applies to all genera within the family Geomyidae. The name pocket gopher was earned for this family because of their fur lined cheek pouches that can be used for carrying food. These pouches can also be turned inside out. Species of Heterogeomys are regarded as pests, one of less than 5% of rodent species classified as pests, and the history of man's attempts to control their populations reaches back into Mayan times. Despite some efforts to the contrary, populations of Heterogeomys seem to be on a general upwards trend. Furthermore, all of the species of Heterogeomys are considered to be of Least Concern in the World Status Key.

Buller's pocket gopher is a species of gopher that is endemic to Mexico.

Merriam's pocket mouse is a species of rodent in the family Heteromyidae. It is found in northeast Mexico and New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas in the United States. Its habitat is shortgrass prairie, desert areas with scrub and arid shrubland. The species is named to honor Clinton Hart Merriam, a biologist who first described several other members of the genus Perognathus, and first elucidated the principle of a "life zone" as a means of characterizing ecological areas with similar plant and animal communities.

The camas pocket gopher, also known as the camas rat or Willamette Valley gopher, is a rodent, the largest member in the genus Thomomys, of the family Geomyidae. First described in 1829, it is endemic to the Willamette Valley of northwestern Oregon in the United States. The herbivorous gopher forages for vegetable and plant matter, which it collects in large, fur-lined, external cheek pouches. Surplus food is hoarded in an extensive system of tunnels. The dull-brown-to-lead-gray coat changes color and texture over the year. The mammal's characteristically large, protuberant incisors are well adapted for use in tunnel construction, particularly in the hard clay soils of the Willamette Valley. The gophers make chattering sounds with their teeth; males and females make purring sounds when they are together, and the young make twittering sounds. Born toothless, blind and hairless, the young grow rapidly before being weaned at about six weeks of age.

Townsend's pocket gopher is a species of pocket gopher endemic to the northwestern United States.

The Louisiana pine snake is a species of large, non-venomous, constrictor in the family Colubridae. This powerful snake is notable because of its large eggs and small clutch sizes. The Louisiana pine snake is indigenous to west-central Louisiana and East Texas, where it relies strongly on Baird's pocket gophers for its burrow system and as a food source. The Louisiana pine snake is rarely seen in the wild, and is considered to be one of the rarest snakes in North America. The demise of the species is due to its low fecundity coupled with the extensive loss of suitable habitat - the longleaf pine savannas in the Gulf coastal plain of the southeastern United States. Management activities are being conducted to promote the species' recovery.

Knox Jones's pocket gopher is a species of pocket gopher found in Texas and New Mexico. This species is named for Dr. J. Knox Jones Jr. (1929–1992), a prolific mammalogist at Texas Tech University.

References

↑ Cassola, F. (2017) [errata version of 2016 assessment]. "Geomys breviceps". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T136840A115212715. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T136840A22217664.en . Retrieved 17 May 2023.
1 2 3 4 5 6 Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. "Geomys breviceps." North American Mammals. 2009. 7 May 2009.
1 2 3 4 Davis, W. B. & Schmidly, D. J. (1997). "Baird's Pocket Gopher". The Mammals of Texas-Online Edition. Retrieved 10 May 2009.
↑ Sudman, Philip (24 August 2006). "Molecular Systematics of Pocket Gophers of the Genus Geomys". Journal of Mammalogy. 87 (4): 668–676. doi: 10.1644/05-MAMM-A-349R2.1 .