Mazama pocket gopher

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Mazama pocket gopher
Mazama pocket gopher.jpg
Status TNC G4.svg
Apparently Secure  (NatureServe) [2]
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Geomyidae
Genus: Thomomys
Species:
T. mazama
Binomial name
Thomomys mazama
Merriam, 1897
Subspecies [3]
  • Thomomys mazama couchi
  • Thomomys mazama glacialis
  • Thomomys mazama helleri
  • Thomomys mazama hesperus
  • Thomomys mazama louiei
  • Thomomys mazama mazama
  • Thomomys mazama melanops
  • Thomomys mazama nasicus
  • Thomomys mazama niger
  • Thomomys mazama oregonus
  • Thomomys mazama premaxillaris
  • Thomomys mazama pugetensis
  • Thomomys mazama tacomensis
  • Thomomys mazama tumuli
  • Thomomys mazama yelmensis
Thomomys mazama species distribution map.svg
Distribution of the Mazama pocket gopher

The Mazama pocket gopher (Thomomys mazama) is a smooth-toothed pocket gopher restricted to the Pacific Northwest. The herbivorous species ranges from coastal Washington, through Oregon, and into north-central California. Four subspecies of the Mazama Pocket Gopher are classified as threatened under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, including T. m. pugetensis (Olympia pocket gopher), T. m. tumuli (Tenino pocket gopher), T. m. glacialis (Roy Prairie pocket gopher), and T. m. yelmensis (Yelm pocket gopher). [4] The Mazama Pocket Gopher is one of the smallest of 35 species in the pocket gopher family. [5]

Description

Thomomys mazama claws Thomomys mazama claws.jpg
Thomomys mazama claws

Mazama pocket gophers are light brown to black in color, with adults ranging in size from 5 to 6 inches (13 to 15 cm) in length. The Mazama pocket gopher’s distinctive features include pointed claws, long whiskers, and protruding chisel-like front teeth. [6] The pocket gopher serves as prey for a variety of predatory species. The species has poor vision, but excels at digging burrows with their long claws and strong limbs and its burrows are used by a number of other species. [7]

The gophers transport food and nesting material by fur pouches on their bodies and pockets within their cheeks. [7] The gopher's diet consists of plant material, mostly vegetation, roots and tubers. According to a study conducted in South-Central Oregon between 1973 and 1974, the Mazama Pocket Gopher’s diet consists mostly of above ground parts of forbs, grasses, woody plants, and plant roots. These comprised 40%, 32%, 4%, and 24% of their diet, respectively, by volume, per a study which examined the contents of the stomachs of 110 Mazama Pocket Gophers. The diet of the Mazama Pocket Gopher adapts to the availability of different foods, however they tend to choose the most succulent foods available throughout the year. [8]

The gophers exhibit asocial behaviors except during the gestation and mating season. Mating is believed to be polygamous. Gestation lasts around 18 days, with each litter averaging 3 or 4 young. Females will usually have one litter per year between March and June. [9] Pocket gophers form an angled tunnel in the ground as they dig for roots to eat. In this process, they transform the soil into a soft and sifted powder, in turn creating a unique, irregularly shaped mound with an off-center hole.

Ecology

The Mazama pocket gopher is important to the prairie ecosystem it inhabits. Each gopher is capable of turning over 3–7 tons of soil per acre per year. Their presence is beneficial for plant diversity, with one study showing 5–48% higher as a result. Frogs, toads, small mammals and lizards also use their gopher burrows. [10] Pocket gophers form an angled tunnel in the ground as they dig for roots to eat. In this process, they transform the soil into a soft and sifted powder, in turn creating a unique, irregularly shaped mound with an off-center hole. [6]

Distribution

The Mazama Pocket Gopher is mainly local to areas with herbaceous vegetation and well-drained glacial soil. [7] The total population is unknown, but believed to exceed 100,000, a majority of population resides in the state of Oregon. There are 27 known populations in the state of Washington, with an estimated 2000–5000 individuals total. [1] The state of Washington has listed the Mazama pocket gopher and its subspecies found in the Puget Sound area as threatened.

Washington

Mazama pocket gopher habitat Mazama Pocket gopher habitat.jpg
Mazama pocket gopher habitat

The Mazama pocket gopher in Washington has suffered habitat loss, with the remaining habitats being located in unexpected places. The largest populations have been found to reside around Fort Lewis and several regional airports. [9] [11] The Olympic National Park cited as another possible location for a sizable population. [9]

A 2005 study reported 6000 gophers living around Olympia airport, but this study has been criticized for its conclusions. The study made count of burrows and did not engage in trapping and marking to estimate the actual number of gophers present. The population is also known to vary erratically, increasing dramatically after the mating season and declining as the year progresses due to predation. [10] This contradicts the estimated population listed on the IUCN database which lists between 2000-5000 gophers in the state of Washington with the isolated populations being representative of all 27 populations. [1] The population of the subspecies indigenous to the area is unknown, with two of the sub-species presumed extinct and Thomomys mazama douglasii's status being uncertain and possibly extinct. [12]

Conservation status

Thomomys mazama mouth agape Thomomys mazama mouth agape.jpg
Thomomys mazama mouth agape

The species is currently listed as threatened by the state of Washington. [10] In December 2012, a proposal was made by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to list the gopher as threatened. It would apply to the four local subspecies of the Mazama pocket gopher and their prairie habitat. Their prairie habitat in which the gophers live has been reduced by 90–95% in the last 150 years. [13] A translocation project has been undertaken, but a mortality of 90% has been reported. [10]

The gopher is also listed as a pest in the state of Washington because it is known to cause damage to infrastructure. The gophers can destroy waterlines, endanger livestock, destroy crops and weaken levees and dams. [14]

The conservation of the species has been met with some press coverage. In July 2013, Fox News ran a story about Fort Lewis's $3.5 million grant from the state of Washington to purchase 2,600 acres (1,100 ha) of land during a time when workers were on furlough. [15] Prior to this story, the grant was described by Interior Secretary Sally Jewell as "...taking an important step in addressing one of the greatest threats to wildlife in America today, loss of habitat, while helping to ensure the preservation of working landscapes and our military readiness." [16]

Control

Mazama pocket gopher trapping array Mazama Pocket Gopher trapping array.jpg
Mazama pocket gopher trapping array

The gophers are known to cause damage to farms and infrastructure through burrowing or consuming vegetation. Damage mitigation can be done by installing a gopher fence, which has to be at least 6 inches (15 cm) above ground and go down to a depth of over 2 feet (0.61 m) or until bedrock or hardpan is struck. This fence is considered a temporary and not permanent defense against the gophers. Gophers are unlikely to be deterred by frightening devices like vibrating stakes, pinwheels and other sound devices. While other methods of control exist, the state of Washington's listing of the species as threatened limits control methods to non-lethal actions. [17] Since pocket gophers feed on conifer seedlings, they threaten reforestation in the Pacific Northwest. [8] Forest management can effectively control Mazama Gophers by altering the vegetation to no longer support the species.

Taxonomy

It is a member of the family Geomyidae and its genus is Thomomys. The Geomyidae family is a group of New World rodents that is related to the Heteromyidae. [7] Thomomys is the classification for western pocket gophers, a smooth-toothed pocket gopher without grooves on their incisors. The Mazama pocket gopher takes its species name from Mount Mazama, the ancient volcano that exploded 6,000 years ago to form Crater Lake in Oregon, where the species was first found. [18] Despite its name, it does not appear in Mazama, Washington.

Subspecies

Subspecies of the Mazama pocket gopher include:

Related Research Articles

The Tacoma pocket gopher was a subspecies of the Mazama pocket gopher that was restricted to a few isolated populations in the southern Puget Sound area and on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington. The animal became extinct in 1970.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gopher</span> Family of burrowing rodents

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Smooth-toothed pocket gopher</span> Genus of mammals

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Botta's pocket gopher</span> Species of mammal

Botta's pocket gopher is a pocket gopher native to western North America. It is also known in some areas as valley pocket gopher, particularly in California. Both the specific and common names of this species honor Paul-Émile Botta, a naturalist and archaeologist who collected mammals in California in 1827 and 1828.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Utah prairie dog</span> Species of rodent

The Utah prairie dog is the smallest species of prairie dog endemic to the south-central steppes of the American state of Utah.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southeastern pocket gopher</span> Species of rodent

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Desert pocket gopher</span> Species of rodent

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plains pocket gopher</span> Species of rodent

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Camas pocket gopher</span> Small species of burrowing rodent from Oregon

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wyoming pocket gopher</span> Species of mammal

The Wyoming pocket gopher is a species of gopher that is endemic to the United States. Between 1915 and 1979, it was generally considered to be a subspecies of the northern pocket gopher.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Idaho pocket gopher</span> Species of rodent in the family Geomyidae

The Idaho pocket gopher is a species of rodent in the family Geomyidae. It is rather small, with a lightly built skull. Its fur color varies through the body and between individuals. Found in the western United States, it inhabits savannas, shrubland, and grasslands. Individuals live alone in burrows, staying active year-round. Many aspects of its behavior and biology are not well understood. The species is classified as being of least-concern by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mountain pocket gopher</span> Species of mammal

The mountain pocket gopher is a species of rodent in the family Geomyidae. It is endemic to California and Nevada. The Sierra Nevada are part of its range.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Townsend's pocket gopher</span> Species of pocket gopher endemic to the northwestern United States

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

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern pocket gopher</span> Species of rodent in the family Geomyidae, found in Mexico and the United States

The southern pocket gopher is a species of rodent in the family Geomyidae. It is found in Mexico and the United States, usually in high altitude grassland and shrubland. It feeds on plant material and has an extensive burrow above which is a large heap of earth on the surface of the ground.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Louisiana pine snake</span> Species of snake

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pacific pocket mouse</span> Subspecies of rodent

The Pacific pocket mouse, Perognathus longimembris pacificus, is endemic to California. It lives in sandy coastal soils of the coastal sage scrub ecoregion. It eats seeds and some insects. It was believed to be extinct until 1993, when a small population was discovered. It is now a federally listed Endangered animal species.

<i>Icaricia icarioides blackmorei</i> Subspecies of butterfly

Icaricia icarioides blackmorei, the Puget blue, is a butterfly native to the Puget Sound area in the northwestern U.S. state of Washington. It is a subspecies of Boisduval's blue.

<i>Speyeria zerene hippolyta</i> Subspecies of butterfly

Speyeria zerene hippolyta, the Oregon silverspot, is a threatened butterfly that is found in the U.S. states of California and Oregon. It is a subspecies of Speyeria zerene.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rocky Prairie</span> Protected area 56 miles southwest of Seattle, Washington

Rocky Prairie is a Puget prairie that is about 56 miles (90 km) southwest of Seattle, Washington, United States, and about 10 miles (16 km) south of Washington's capital city of Olympia. It sits very close to the Millersylvania State Park, the community of Maytown, and the city of Tenino.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Linzey, A.V. & Hammerson, G. (NatureServe) (2008). "Thomomys mazama". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2008. Retrieved 15 March 2009. Database entry includes a brief justification of why this species is of least concern
  2. NatureServe (5 May 2023). "Thomomys mazama". NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data accessed through NatureServe Explorer. Arlington, Virginia: NatureServe. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  3. "Thomomys mazama Merriam, 1897". Global Biodiversity Information Facility . Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  4. "WAFWO - Federally Protected Subspecies of Mazama Pocket Gopher in Washington". www.fws.gov. Archived from the original on 2 January 2021.
  5. "Mazama Pocket Gopher (Thomomys mazama) | Encyclopedia of Puget Sound". www.eopugetsound.org. Retrieved 2021-11-13.
  6. 1 2 Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, "Mazama Pocket Gopher ID Card", https://www.fws.gov/wafwo/documents/Gopher%20ID%20Card%204.pdf
  7. 1 2 3 4 Stinson, D. W.. 2020. Mazama Pocket Gopher Recovery Plan and Periodic Status Review. Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Olympia.102+vii pp.
  8. 1 2 Burton, Douglas H., and Hugh C. Black. “Feeding Habits of Mazama Pocket Gophers in South-Central Oregon.” The Journal of Wildlife Management, vol. 42, no. 2, [Wiley, Wildlife Society], 1978, pp. 383–90, doi : 10.2307/3800274.
  9. 1 2 3 4 "Species Fact Sheet Mazama pocket gopher Thomomys mazama (ssp. couchi, douglasii, glacialis, louiei, melanops, pugetensis, tacomensis, tumuli, yelmensis)" (PDF). FWS. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
  10. 1 2 3 4 "MAZAMA POCKET GOPHER: FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS" (PDF). Retrieved 19 July 2013.
  11. "Mazama pocket gopher slated to join endangered species list". KPLU. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
  12. "Mazama Pocket Gopher" (PDF). Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
  13. "Mazama Pocket Gopher - Proposal to Extend Protection Under ESA to Four Subspecies and Their Habitats". FWS. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
  14. "Proposal to protect pocket gopher meets resistance". Capital Press. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
  15. Springer, Dan. "Military spending millions to protect gophers, while workers go on furlough". Fox News. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
  16. "First Sentinel Landscape Pilot in Washington State will Support Local Economy, the Conservation of Natural Resources and National Defense". USDA. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
  17. "Pocket Gophers - Living with Wildlife". WDFW. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
  18. "Mazama Pocket Gopher: Frequently Asked Questions" (PDF). Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. Retrieved July 7, 2013.

Further reading