They disperse in late summer, hoping to avoid predation. One to seven hairless, blind young are born 19 days later. Males, which are most likely polygamous (there are generally more females in an area than males), seem to go in search of females. The only time this changes is during breeding season, which occurs in spring. Gophers are solitary, territorial and pugnacious. A sensitive tail facilitates rapid reversal, when necessary. Soil is then pushed behind and when enough loose material accumulates, the gopher turns around and shoves the dirt up to the surface. They use their forelegs, elongated claws and occasionally their teeth for digging. Gophers block tunnel entrances with dirt, to prevent predator entry. The deepest parts of the tunnel system are between one and three yards underground. A typical one will resemble a complicated subway system with numerous forks, side branches for food storage, fecal matter and refuse repositories, and for nesting. One study in Utah estimated that a single gopher moved as much as 1,130 kilograms of soil per year (a bit over 1 ton of soil). Tunnel systems stretching for over 150 yards are not unusual. One sure sign of a gopher is a mound of pushed up soil, which marks a temporary den opening. They may be especially common in riparian areas, washes, farms and golf courses. Pocket gophers generally live where they can find good soils for excavation, which could mean any environment from the desert up into the mountains. On each side of the mouth is an external, fur-lined storage pouch.
![pocket gopher pocket gopher](https://www.mammalwatching.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/bpg.jpg)
The lips close behind the large front teeth, which lets the animal dig without getting a mouthful of soil. They weigh six to eight ounces and range in color from pale gray to russet to black, depending upon soil color. Rat-sized rodents with short, mostly hairless tails, minute eyes and ears, and large forelimbs with elongated claws. Gopher is derived from the French word gaufre, for honeycomb, a reference to the animal’s subterranean network. The generic epithet "Thomomys" comes from the Greek thomos, meaning heap, and mys or mouse. He is known to archaeologists as the discoverer of the Assyrian ruins of Ninevah.
![pocket gopher pocket gopher](https://apps.carleton.edu/reason_package/reason_4.0/www/images_local/1688856.png)
Botta (or bottae) honors Italian Paolo Emilio Botta, a 19th century naturalist, who visited California in 1827 on a collecting expedition for the Museum of Natural History of Paris. If no status is listed, there is not enough data to establish status.Botta’s pocket gopher or valley pocket gopher are two common names for this fossorial (i.e., digging or burrowing) mammal.
![pocket gopher pocket gopher](https://www.liphatech.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Ag-Field-sub-market-image-Pocket-Gophers.jpg)
Status and range is taken from ICUN Redlist.
![pocket gopher pocket gopher](https://molemanagementllc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/pocket-gopher2.jpg)
Least Concern Near Threatened Vulnerable Endangered Critically Endangered Extinct in Wild Extinct Their tunnel systems have sleeping chambers, food storage chambers and even bathrooms! Pocket gophers are solitary animals and eat roots and tubers. Pocket gophers build elaborate tunnel systems underground. Their cheek pouches are used to carry food and can be turned inside out! Pocket gophers are named for their fur-lined cheek pouches. They have stout bodies short tails big heads small ears and eyes and short, but powerful legs with strong digging claws. Pocket gophers are found in North and Central America.