Gopher
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| A pocket gopher | |
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The gopher is a small burrowing animal known for its extensive tunneling activities. Gophers are endemic to North America and Central America. They are commonly referred to as pocket gophers and are classified in the family Geomyidae.[3] There are approximately 35 species of gopher living in Central and North America.[4]
Description
Gophers weigh around 0.5 pounds (230 g), and are about 15 inches (38 cm) long in body length, with a tail 7 inches (18 cm) long. Their lifespan is normally one to three years[5] assuming no diseases or predation. The maximum life span for the pocket gopher is approximately five years.[6] Some gophers, such as those in the genus geomys, have lifespans that have been documented as up to seven years in the wild.[5] Gophers dig tunnels and subterranean chambers, and are associated with the rodent order, Rodentia. There are over 100 kinds of gophers in America. Gophers are generally timid but may attack if provoked. If deprived of their normal vegetarian food supply, gophers have been known to resort to cannibalism.
Interaction with humans
Because of their burrowing, gophers can disrupt commercial agriculture, garden plots, landscaping, and underground cables. This has led to their frequent treatment as pests.
In the Canadian province of Saskatchewan, gophers, in the form of Richardson ground squirrels, have been declared as a pest. They are considered to be a problem throughout western Canada, and have ruined acres of farmland and pasture.[7]
Species
Pocket gopher
The pocket gopher has been considered as a "true" gopher.[clarification needed] Their most characteristic features are their large cheek pouches, from which the word "pocket" in their name derives. They are larder hoarders, and their cheek pouches are used for transporting food back to their burrows. All pocket gophers are burrowers. Pocket gophers examined by humans have been found to often have external parasites on them.[5]
Depending on the species and local conditions, pocket gophers may have a specific annual breeding season or may breed repeatedly through the year. Each litter typically consists of two to five young, although this may be much higher in some species. The young are born blind and helpless, and are weaned at around forty days.[8]
Habitat
Gophers create a network of tunnel systems that provide protection and a means of collecting food. The entrances can be identified by small piles of loose dirt covering the opening.[1] Their burrows can be found in many areas where the soil is softer and easily tunneled. The resulting destruction of plant life will then leave the area a stretch of denuded dirt. Gophers eat earthworms, grubs, plant roots, shrubs and other vegetables such as carrots, lettuce, radishes, and any other vegetables with juice. Unlike its close relative the ground squirrel, gophers do not live in large communities or show themselves above ground. Common predators of the gopher include weasels, snakes and hawks.[2]
In popular culture
- Gainer the Gopher is the mascot of the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the Canadian Football League.
- An animated gopher is the official mascot of the Go programming language.[9]
- It is the name of one the internet protocols which was very popular in its early times, now mostly in disuse.
- A gopher is a character in the Disney version of Winnie the Pooh.
- A gopher figures prominently in the movie Caddyshack.
- Gophers are protagonists of the pinball machines No Good Gofers and Tee'd Off.
- The University of Minnesota's mascot is a gopher.[10]
- Gordon the Gopher was a popular children's television character in the UK in the 1980s.
See also
References
- ^ a b c d "Gopher". A-Z Animals. Retrieved 19 January 2014.
- ^ a b "Pocket Gophers". National Wildlife Federation. Retrieved 19 January 2014.
- ^ Oregon Dept. of Fish and Wildlife
- ^ "Outwit Critters:". Retrieved 16 January 2014.
There are 35 species of gophers living in both North and Central America.
- ^ a b c Hygnstrom, Scott E. (2010). Prevention and Control of Wildlife Damage. DIANE Publishing Inc. pp. B–21. ISBN 1-4379-3688-1.
- ^ Whisson, Delsey. Small Grain Production Pt 8: Pest Management -- Vertebrates. UCANR Publications. p. 5. ISBN 1-60107-411-5.
- ^ Hansen, Liane (4 April 2010). "Saskatchewan Declares War On Gophers". NPR. Archived from the original (transcript) on 15 January 2014. Retrieved 15 January 2014.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Patton, James (1984). Macdonald, D. (ed.). The Encyclopedia of Mammals. New York: Facts on File. pp. 628–631. ISBN 0-87196-871-1.
- ^ FAQ – The Go Programming Language
- ^ University of Minnesota Goldy Gopher