Gopher

This article is about the rodent. For other uses, see Gopher (disambiguation).

Pocket gophers
Temporal range: Chadronian–present[1]
Botta's pocket gopher (Thomomys bottae)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Superfamily: Geomyoidea
Family: Geomyidae
Bonaparte, 1845
Type genus
Geomys
Genera

Cratogeomys
Geomys
Heterogeomys
Orthogeomys
Pappogeomys
Thomomys
Zygogeomys

Diversity
Around 41 species in 7 genera

Pocket gophers, commonly referred to simply as gophers, are burrowing rodents of the family Geomyidae.[2] The roughly 41 species[3] are all endemic to North and Central America.[4] They are commonly known for their extensive tunneling activities and their ability to destroy farms and gardens.

The name "pocket gopher" on its own may refer to any of a number of genera within the family Geomyidae. These are the "true" gophers, but several ground squirrels in the distantly related family Sciuridae are often called "gophers", as well. The origin of the word "gopher" is uncertain; the French gaufre, meaning waffle, has been suggested, on account of the gopher tunnels resembling the honeycomb-like pattern of holes in a waffle;[5] another suggestion is that the word is of Muskogean origin.[6]

A typical pocket gopher
  1. ^ Eduardo Jiménez-Hidalgo; Rosalía Guerrero-Arenas; Krister T. Smith (2018). "Gregorymys veloxikua, The Oldest Pocket Gopher (Rodentia: Geomyidae), and The Early Diversification of Geomyoidea". Journal of Mammalian Evolution. 25 (3): 427–439. doi:10.1007/s10914-017-9383-z. S2CID 207195992.
  2. ^ "ODFW, Oregon Wildlife Species: Gophers". Dfw.state.or.us. 2014-08-25. Archived from the original on 2016-02-08. Retrieved 2017-05-27.
  3. ^ Search results for "Geomyidae" on the ASM Mammal Diversity Database.
  4. ^ "Outwit Critters". Retrieved 16 January 2014. There are 35 species of gophers living in both North and Central America.
  5. ^ "Gopher - definition of gopher in English | Oxford Dictionaries". Archived from the original on 2017-04-04. Retrieved 2017-04-03.
  6. ^ "American Heritage Dictionary Entry: gopher". Ahdictionary.com. Retrieved 2017-05-27.