Botta's pocket gopher
Encyclopedia
Botta's pocket gopher is a pocket gopher
native to western North America
, from California
east to Texas
and from southern Utah
and Colorado
south to Mexico
. It is also known in some sources as valley pocket gopher, particularly in California.
This species is medium-sized, with males reaching a length of approximately 25–26 cm (9.8–10.2 in) and a weight of 160–250 g (5.6–8.8 oz), and females averaging about 22 centimetres (8.7 in) in length and a weight of 120–200 g (4.2–7.1 oz). This species is highly adaptable, burrowing into a very diverse array of soils from loose sands to tightly packed clay
s, and from arid desert
s to high altitude meadows. It is strictly herbivorous, and will often pull plants into the ground by the roots to consume them in the safety of its burrow, where it spends 90% of its life. The burrows of this species may reach lengths of more than 150 m, and only extend above ground in times of snowfall. Traces of these aboveground burrows are sometimes called "gopher esker
s."
Main predators of this species include American Badger
s, Coyote
s, Long-tailed Weasel
s, and Snake
s, but other predators include Skunk
s, Owl
s, Bobcat
s, and Hawk
s. This species is considered a pest in urban and agricultural areas due to its burrowing habit and its predilection for alfalfa
; however, it is also considered beneficial as its burrows are a key source of aeration for soils in the region.
At least 185 subspecies have been described for this animal, mostly on the basis of geographical distribution.
Both the specific and common names of this species honor Paul-Émile Botta
, a naturalist and archaeologist who collected mammals in California in the 1820s and 1830s.
Pocket gopher
The pocket gophers are burrowing rodents of the family Geomyidae. These are the "true" gophers, though several ground squirrels of the family Sciuridae are often called gophers as well...
native to western North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, from California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
east to Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
and from southern Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
and Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
south to Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. It is also known in some sources as valley pocket gopher, particularly in California.
This species is medium-sized, with males reaching a length of approximately 25–26 cm (9.8–10.2 in) and a weight of 160–250 g (5.6–8.8 oz), and females averaging about 22 centimetres (8.7 in) in length and a weight of 120–200 g (4.2–7.1 oz). This species is highly adaptable, burrowing into a very diverse array of soils from loose sands to tightly packed clay
Clay
Clay is a general term including many combinations of one or more clay minerals with traces of metal oxides and organic matter. Geologic clay deposits are mostly composed of phyllosilicate minerals containing variable amounts of water trapped in the mineral structure.- Formation :Clay minerals...
s, and from arid desert
Desert
A desert is a landscape or region that receives an extremely low amount of precipitation, less than enough to support growth of most plants. Most deserts have an average annual precipitation of less than...
s to high altitude meadows. It is strictly herbivorous, and will often pull plants into the ground by the roots to consume them in the safety of its burrow, where it spends 90% of its life. The burrows of this species may reach lengths of more than 150 m, and only extend above ground in times of snowfall. Traces of these aboveground burrows are sometimes called "gopher esker
Esker
An esker is a long winding ridge of stratified sand and gravel, examples of which occur in glaciated and formerly glaciated regions of Europe and North America...
s."
Main predators of this species include American Badger
American Badger
The American badger is a North American badger, somewhat similar in appearance to the European badger. It is found in the western and central United States, northern Mexico and central Canada, as well as in certain areas of southwestern British Columbia.Their habitat is typified by open...
s, Coyote
Coyote
The coyote , also known as the American jackal or the prairie wolf, is a species of canine found throughout North and Central America, ranging from Panama in the south, north through Mexico, the United States and Canada...
s, Long-tailed Weasel
Long-tailed Weasel
The long-tailed weasel , also known as the bridled weasel or big stoat is a species of mustelid distributed from southern Canada throughout all the United States and Mexico, southward through all of Central America and into northern South America.-Evolution:The long-tailed weasel is the product of...
s, and Snake
Snake
Snakes are elongate, legless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales...
s, but other predators include Skunk
Skunk
Skunks are mammals best known for their ability to secrete a liquid with a strong, foul odor. General appearance varies from species to species, from black-and-white to brown or cream colored. Skunks belong to the family Mephitidae and to the order Carnivora...
s, Owl
Owl
Owls are a group of birds that belong to the order Strigiformes, constituting 200 bird of prey species. Most are solitary and nocturnal, with some exceptions . Owls hunt mostly small mammals, insects, and other birds, although a few species specialize in hunting fish...
s, Bobcat
Bobcat
The bobcat is a North American mammal of the cat family Felidae, appearing during the Irvingtonian stage of around 1.8 million years ago . With twelve recognized subspecies, it ranges from southern Canada to northern Mexico, including most of the continental United States...
s, and Hawk
Hawk
The term hawk can be used in several ways:* In strict usage in Australia and Africa, to mean any of the species in the subfamily Accipitrinae, which comprises the genera Accipiter, Micronisus, Melierax, Urotriorchis and Megatriorchis. The large and widespread Accipiter genus includes goshawks,...
s. This species is considered a pest in urban and agricultural areas due to its burrowing habit and its predilection for alfalfa
Alfalfa
Alfalfa is a flowering plant in the pea family Fabaceae cultivated as an important forage crop in the US, Canada, Argentina, France, Australia, the Middle East, South Africa, and many other countries. It is known as lucerne in the UK, France, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand, and known as...
; however, it is also considered beneficial as its burrows are a key source of aeration for soils in the region.
At least 185 subspecies have been described for this animal, mostly on the basis of geographical distribution.
Both the specific and common names of this species honor Paul-Émile Botta
Paul-Émile Botta
Paul-Émile Botta was a French scientist who served as Consul in Mosul from 1842.-Life:...
, a naturalist and archaeologist who collected mammals in California in the 1820s and 1830s.