Northern pocket gopher
The northern pocket gopher (Thomomys talpoides) was first described in writing by Lewis and Clark, who encountered it on April 9, 1805 at the mouth of the Knife River in what is now North Dakota. These animals are often rich brown or yellowish brown, but also grayish or closely approaching local soil color and have white markings under the chin. They also weigh less than a quarter of a pound (110 grams).
| Northern pocket gopher | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Geomyidae |
| Genus: | Thomomys |
| Species: | T. talpoides |
| Binomial name | |
| Thomomys talpoides Richardson, 1828 | |
| Subspecies | |
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T. t. aequalidens | |
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Their habitat consists usually of good soil in meadows or along streams; most often in mountains, but also in lowlands.
A special note about the northern pocket gopher is that it rarely appears above ground; when it does, it rarely ventures more than 2.5 feet from a burrow entrance. Underground, however, they often have tunnels that extend hundreds of feet where they live, store food and mate.
References
- Linzey, A.V., & Hammerson, G. (NatureServe) (2008). "Thomomys talpoides". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2008. Retrieved 15 March 2009.CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link) CS1 maint: ref=harv (link) Database entry includes a brief justification of why this species is of least concern
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