Southeastern pocket gopher
Southeastern pocket gopher | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Rodentia |
Family: | Geomyidae |
Genus: | Geomys |
Species: | G. pinetis
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Binomial name | |
Geomys pinetis Rafinesque, 1817
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Subspecies | |
G. p. austrinus |
The southeastern pocket gopher (Geomys pinetis) is a species of
Description
The southeastern pocket gopher is rather smaller than the plains pocket gopher (Geomys bursarius), with a total length of 260 mm (10.2 in) including a tail of about 86 mm (3.4 in). Males are larger than females and average 176 g (6.2 oz) in weight while the females average 136 g (4.8 oz). The dorsal fur is cinnamon brown with the underparts rather paler and tinged with buff or reddish-yellow. The feet and tail are white or pale buff. As with other members of this family, the external cheek pouches can be turned inside-out for grooming purposes. It is well adapted for living underground with large, protruding incisor teeth, used for tearing at roots, and powerful claws on the forefeet for digging.[3]
Distribution and habitat
This gopher is restricted to the southeastern part of the United States, where it occurs in
The subspecies G. p. mobilensis, found west of the
Ecology
G. pinetis is a solitary animal and creates shallow tunnels above which are a series of mounds of excavated material. The soil is pushed upwards by the front limbs and chest and creates a fan-shaped mound with the tunnel at one side. The burrow entrance is immediately blocked with soil. These shallow tunnels are connected to a deeper tunnel system by a spiral "staircase". Down below are the food chambers and a nest chamber which may contain dried vegetation and plant fibres.[5]
Breeding takes place in spring and summer, peaking around February/March and June/July. The
The southeastern pocket gopher is active throughout the year. It feeds on roots and rhizomes below ground, and on green plants such as grasses, sedges and weeds which it can reach from near the entrance to the burrow. Large quantities of vegetation are gathered and carried back to store chambers in the burrow. Because its burrows promote plant growth, a case can be made that they are farmers.[6] A number of arthropods share the burrows with the gophers, including about fourteen species that are found nowhere else. The gophers are attracted to cultivated land, particularly sweet potato crops, and can also be a pest in peanut and pea crops, and sugarcane plantations.[3]
References
- . Retrieved 10 March 2022.
- ^ Laerm, Joshua (December 1981). "Systematic Status of the Cumberland Island Georgia USA Pocket Gopher Geomys cumberlandius". Brimleyana (6). North Carolina State Museum of Natural History: 141–151. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
- ^ ISBN 0-8014-3475-0.
- . Retrieved 12 December 2023.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-87049-966-1.
- ^ Whang, Oliver (11 July 2022). "The Question You Didn't Know Needed Answering: Are Gophers Farmers?". The New York Times. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
Further reading
- Ecological Engineers: Southeastern Pocket Gophers are one of Nature's Architects – University of Florida fact sheet
- OCLC 62265494.