Gopher is another name. Gopher: description, species and habitats. Where does the gopher live and what does it eat? Gopher hunting. The influence of rodents on human life

Appearance

One of the smallest (body length 17-26 cm) and short-tailed (tail 2.9-5.5 cm, less than 1/4 body length) ground squirrels. Weighs up to 500 g. Males are slightly larger than females. The head is quite large, with large eyes. The auricle is reduced to a skin ridge. The paws are short, with long, flexible toes. The hairline is short and rather sparse, adjacent; Only on the tail the hair is long and fluffy. The color of the back is bright and variegated: on the main gray-brownish or brown background, large (up to 6 mm), whitish or yellowish, clearly defined specks are scattered, merging into ripples on the back of the head. In young animals, the specks may be arranged in rows. The top of the head is the same color as the back, sometimes a little darker. The eyes are surrounded by a light ring; brown spots under the eyes. The throat and head are white underneath. The belly is light gray to ocher-yellow. The tail is two-colored with a light edge. Within the range, the general color tone becomes lighter and becomes duller towards the south.

Spreading

Distributed in the steppes and southern forest-steppes of the East European Plain, from the Danube and Prut to the middle reaches of the Volga. The northern border of the range corresponds to the northern border of the forest-steppe. The southern border, starting from the mouth of the Danube, runs along the coast of the Black Sea to the Dnieper, crossing it at the mouth of the Vorskla; then along the left bank of the Northern Donets it descends to Lugansk, turns northeast and across the middle course of the river. Khoper and the Bear goes to the Volga near Kamyshin. Western border- along the left bank of the Prut to the mouth of the Danube. In the east, the border goes through the mouth of the river. Moksha, along the right bank of the Oka to Bryansk, along the left bank of the Desna, across the upper reaches of the river. Southern Bug and Dniester. In addition, there are two small isolated habitats of the speckled ground squirrel: in the north-west of Ukraine (Volyn Upland) and western Belarus (Novogrudka Upland, Kopylskaya Ridge).

Lifestyle and nutrition

The speckled ground squirrel is an inhabitant of feather grass steppes, dry meadows and the southern part of the forest-steppe. Its original habitats are elevated areas of the virgin steppe, including those used for mowing, pastures and pastures. However, due to the extensive plowing of the steppes, the speckled gopher was forced out to “inconvenient areas” - the slopes of dry ravines, boundaries, and the outskirts of forest belts. In years of high numbers, it temporarily settles along the sides of country roads, in old orchards and vineyards, along the outskirts of fields with corn and wheat crops. Lowlands are rarely used and only as feeding areas.

The speckled gopher lives in colonies, both dense and sparse (along river floodplains, roadsides, etc.). There are also solitary animals. Each adult gopher occupies its own burrow. There are permanent and temporary (protective) burrows. The first are up to 2-3 m long, with one entrance and a nesting chamber at a depth of 35 - 128 cm. In these burrows, gophers overwinter, fly and breed. In some cases, burrows have burrows and additional passages. Temporary burrows are simpler and smaller. Speckled ground squirrels lead a sedentary lifestyle and do not migrate for food. Only males are mobile during the rutting period and young animals are mobile during dispersal.

The composition of the feed is vegetable, there are up to 50 items with a predominance of cereals (fescue, feather grass, wild oats, bluegrass) and flowering herbs (clover, yarrow, dandelion). The seasonal change in diet is clearly expressed. In early autumn, the gopher eats underground parts of plants, in summer - green parts, and in autumn - seeds. Cultivated cereals (rye, wheat, etc.) to a lesser extent barley) eats at any stage of the growing season (seedlings, stems, leaves, grain), but does not go further than 20-50 m from the edge of the field. In the south of its range, during the period of mass flight of beetles, it also feeds on beetles. The reserves are small - 200-500 g each, in case of summer bad weather (in winter speckled ground squirrels don't eat). In dense settlements during the rutting season and the emergence of young animals, cases of cannibalism and necrophagy (eating relatives caught in a trap) are observed.

Speckled gophers are diurnal animals, most active in the morning and early evening hours. Young animals gain fat almost throughout the entire daylight hours. Gophers are sensitive to the weather: when it gets cold or rains, they do not leave their holes. In winter they hibernate. It lasts 6-6.5 months - from September - October to March - April. In the south of its range, the gopher emerges from hibernation already in January-February. Sometimes, in hot, dry years, adult males and barren females fall asleep already in July-August ( estivation). Summer hibernation gradually turns into winter. Young animals and females that have given birth do not go into summer hibernation. The gopher sleeps in a very characteristic position - sitting on its hind legs (not lying down), bending its head to its belly and covering it on top with its tail. During winter hibernation, the weight of the gopher decreases by almost half, so that the gopher who has not eaten during the summer runs the risk of not waking up.

Reproduction and mortality

The breeding period begins 1-1.5 weeks after emerging from hibernation. The rut lasts 2 weeks and is accompanied by the appearance of males in the females' areas. At this time, males are aggressive - they chase each other, bite, and “box.” Mating takes place in the burrow. Pregnancy lasts 22-27 days, with a litter of 6-8 cubs. In early June, young gophers emerge from their burrows for the first time. Then the female leaves the offspring for 3 days, forcing them to switch to solid food. After a few more days, the young animals leave their mother and settle in their own burrows.

Observing the behavior of this rodent in the wild is an extremely fascinating activity. Gophers are very careful. When getting out of the hole during the day, it stands on two legs and looks around. If he doesn’t suspect anything dangerous nearby, then the entire colony of gophers begins to emerge from their underground shelters and engage in the usual daily activities - they play, collect food and really like to sharpen their sharp teeth. However, as soon as there is any sharp sound or rustle, the flight of a bird, or they suspect the appearance of a large animal, all the gophers scatter with a loud whistle to their secluded burrows. This rodent is so wild that it is simply impossible to accustom it to life next to humans. Still, there are certain types of gophers that can be tamed - these are small, large and onion rodents. Besides positive qualities In the gopher genus, there are also negative qualities. They can turn into malicious pests that destroy crops, or become spreaders of plague epidemics among animals.

Titles in other languages:
Spermophilus or Citellus - translated from Latin means the name of the genus of gophers.
Suslik, ground squirrel - translated from English as gopher.
Zieselmaus - from German - gopher;

Classification:
The gopher belongs to the animal kingdom, to the phylum - chordates, subtype - vertebrates, class - mammals, infraclass - placentals, order - rodents, family - squirrels, genus - gophers.
There are 38 known species of ground squirrels; in Russia, the common ones are the small, onion, long-tailed and yellow ground squirrels.

Habitat:
The gopher lives mainly in temperate latitudes, sometimes in the Arctic Circle. Steppes, meadows, and forest tundras provide shelter for these small rodents. Gophers that live in meadows often settle in the Arctic Circle and are not afraid of cold weather. And steppe rodents prefer deserts and semi-deserts, individual mountain areas, at an altitude of 3500 meters above sea level. To some extent, the wariness of gophers is explained by their habitat, mainly open landscapes. Gophers also live in Central Asia and Eastern Siberia. If you want to watch these nimble rodents, you can easily find their burrows in the steppe, next to them there is a hill-shaped earthen mound. However, these rodents rarely live permanently in burrows, usually for one season. Their burrows are sometimes called “capital”, as they are quite deep, up to 7-15 meters deep and about 3 meters long.

Description of the gopher:
Getting close to the home of wary gophers is not easy. But sometimes in the steppe you can see columns, thus the gophers react to danger. An adult gopher looks like a squirrel. Its body is elongated 14-40 cm, the rodent is small in size, the tail rarely reaches the size of the body. The ears are short and bare, the forelimbs are shorter compared to the hind limbs. The color of the belly and back of gophers is different. On the back, the color can vary from green to purple. The abdomen is light and often with an ocher-gray color. In winter, the gopher, like most rodents, can change the color of its fur. In winter it is soft and thick, in summer it is sparse but strong. Gophers, like hamsters, have a monotonous habit of hiding food supplies in their cheek pouches. In winter, animals hibernate, and in some cases, in summer, when they lack food. By type of character, the gopher can be classified as a “lark”, since the animal is active morning image life, and during the day prefers to sit in a hole.

Gopher nutrition:
Herbivorous gophers rarely move away from their burrows; they find all available vegetation (roots, grass, fruits) near their burrows. The diet of gophers is dominated by live food - small insects, which they hunt near minks. Gophers living in meadows love to eat oats, corn and barley. As a rule, this type of rodent is considered a pest. In addition to various herbs, they do not mind trying wild berries, for example, blackberries. Among rodents you can also find a separate species - long-tailed gophers, which can feed on carrion and kitchen waste. Note that in captivity, gophers readily feed on animal food rather than plant food. So some gopher owners feed meat to their beloved pets. However, zoologists recommend feeding domestic rodents with a balanced diet close to nature, which means their diet should contain grain crops, hay, fresh grass and tree branches. So that the rodent can grind down its incisors. Their food of animal origin can be given to cheese, low-fat yogurt, including beef bones which will provide your pet with essential minerals, protein and will act as a dental trainer.

Gopher Reproduction:
Having awakened after a long winter hibernation, gophers enter into active mating season. However, females breed offspring once a year; one litter will consist of 2-12 individuals. The gestation period lasts less than a month, and the rodents lead a moderately fertile lifestyle. But where gophers predominate. There are usually a lot of them. This is associated with the low mortality of rodents, which for a long time take refuge in their burrows. Adult individuals spend 8-9 months in their burrows, so they are just as well protected from predators as young individuals. Babies are born mainly in the spring, blind and hairless. They hatch for two weeks, a small fur appears on their body, and after a day they are completely pubescent. The young grow up within 3 months and are ready for independent existence in the wild. Children mostly leave their mother's burrow in the fall.

Gopher content:
It is unlikely that a wild gopher will turn into a pliable domestic pet. He has quite a lot of shortcomings that hinder him. Gophers are not able to get used to people, and their lifestyle does not allow them to do so. Active at dawn and hiding in holes during the day, in addition to this, they also have an unpleasant odor. In addition, life in captivity, in conditions of cellular existence, shortens the lifespan of a rodent and often leads to death. Animals do not reproduce in cages. But if you still decide to get a rodent, you should create the necessary conditions for his normal existence. It is best to keep the gopher in an enclosure on fresh air. The only type of gopher that can be kept at home is a mixed type that resembles a squirrel - the thin-toed gopher. Since the rodent is a colonial creature, it is necessary to keep them in an enclosure in groups. For example, for a male and a female, an enclosure measuring no less than one and a half meters long and wide is suitable. There must be a shelter inside the enclosure so that the animal can hide or hibernate. The bedding in the gophers' home should be changed daily; the ideal material for bedding is hay or straw. There must be a drinking bowl and edible items in the enclosure so that the pet can grind down its incisors. During hibernation, it is advisable to separate gophers from each other. On the eve of hibernation, rodents need to be given as much hay, straw, leaves and other natural materials, so that your pet can create a comfortable place for himself for deep sleep.

Gophers are small mammals from the squirrel family. These small animals once caused irreparable harm agriculture. Now many species are listed in the Red Book and are endangered to varying degrees.

Description of the gopher

Appearance of gophers – specific character. The size of the animal can be three to four times the size of a squirrel. The closest relatives after squirrels are marmots.

Appearance

Depending on the species, gophers can reach sizes from 15 cm to 25-30 cm. The largest individuals reach sizes of 40 cm. The length of the tail rarely reaches half the length of the body - in the smallest individuals it does not exceed 4 cm. These animals can weigh up to 1.5 kg. There is sexual dimorphism - males are larger than females in length and weight. The body shape is valval, cylindrical. The forelimbs are shorter than the hindlimbs, with an elongated fourth digit in comparison. The fingers are equipped with strong claws that help in digging holes.

The head is small, elongated, with small pubescent ears. Due to their size, the ears appear underdeveloped. The eyes are small and equipped with a large number of lacrimal glands. During the digging process, these glands work very actively, washing away dust that gets on the cornea. Upper and lower incisors - 2 pairs each - powerful, directed towards each other under acute angle. They have no root and grow throughout the animal's life. With their help, gophers dig holes without swallowing the soil. There are cheek pouches in which the animals carry food into their burrows.

This is interesting! Not all species stock up in burrows.

In animals it is dense hairline throughout the body, changing depending on the time of year. Summer fur is short, hard, and protects against overheating. By winter, it becomes longer and much thicker, compacted, allowing you to retain body heat within certain limits. The color of the animal depends on the species and time of year.

Character and lifestyle

Gophers are typical inhabitants steppe zone. These small animals can often be seen standing on their hind legs and looking out for potential danger. They are burrowing animals. The depth of their burrows can reach three meters, sometimes with branches. The length of one branch of the burrow can reach 15 meters, depending on the type of soil.

The hole is marked by a small mound. At the end of the burrow there is often a nest of dry grass and leaves, which serves as a place for sleeping and resting. Some species dig small pantries where they store food. Basically, gophers are school animals. It is rare to see solitary animals. A colony consists of twenty or more individuals. Despite this way of life, each animal has its own separate home, except for mothers with a brood, and its own small territory. This is how gophers form small settlements or towns.

Animals are most often active in the morning, especially during the hot season, or in the evening when the heat subsides. At midday they prefer to hide in burrows. They do not stray far from their homes in order to have time to hide in case of danger. When active, several individuals stand around the perimeter of the territory and look out for predators, while others feed. Since they do not see very well, during the period of protection they try to climb onto small elevations in order to clearly see the movements of a potential threat. Birds help them in this, making noise when they see a predator nearby.

This is interesting! Gophers are very smart and quite tenacious animals. An adult animal can survive up to three shots from an air gun, is resistant to bites, and has natural resistance to the venoms of some venomous snakes.

Gophers have a very developed tongue. Their communication is considered one of the most complex among mammals. Biologists from the University of Manitoba (Canada) studied the communication of gophers and compiled a whole dictionary of whistles, chirps and other sounds that animals make. Particularly noteworthy is the sound, reminiscent of the syllable “chak”. It's kind of Exclamation point, which gives a certain meaning to signals and can even indicate the degree of threat.

It is also known that gophers use ultrasound to communicate, which is almost imperceptible to the human ear. In summer, during times of famine and dry conditions, they can go into additional hibernation. This is associated with a certain risk for animals - snakes, steppe hori and other small-bodied predators can get into the hole and eat a sleeping gopher.

How long do gophers live?

The average lifespan of gophers is 2-3 years. There are cases when animals in captivity lived up to 8 years.

Hibernation of gophers

Gophers are considered one of the longest sleeping animals. They can sleep for up to nine months a year. The duration of hibernation depends on the climate and the region in which the animals live. In the northern regions, males who have accumulated fat tend to go into hibernation by the beginning of June. Females who have not brought offspring do the same. Females who have given birth feed and care for their offspring, then fatten up and only after that do they hibernate. Individuals born in the spring of the current year go into hibernation later than others - they are the least well-fed and may lack fat for long-term sleep. Before hibernation, they often plug the opening to their burrows with earthen plugs. Summer hibernation turns into winter if there are enough accumulated fat reserves.

The animal can wake up in late summer or early autumn to replenish lost fat and go into hibernation until spring. During hibernation, metabolic processes decrease, breathing and heart rate slow down, and body temperature decreases. The animal curls up into a small tight ball and covers itself with its own tail. The animal wakes up with the onset of warmth and the appearance of the first vegetation. In the spring, almost immediately after awakening, an active mating period begins, which continues almost until hibernation.

Types of gophers

• Little gopher– small species, up to 24 cm in length. The color of the fur on the back varies from earthy gray in the northern regions to yellowish-gray in the southern regions. The color is uneven, with darker specks and spots. There is a darker spot on the head that stands out against the background of the main color. Hibernation lasts a little more than six months, up to eight months. Doesn't stock up for the winter. It is considered a pest of cultivated plants and is subject to mass extermination in the fields. It is a carrier of plague, brucellosis, and tularemia. Listed in the Red Book of several regions of Russia.
• Long-tailed ground squirrel– a large species up to 32 cm in size. It is distinguished by a long, fluffy tail (10-16 cm), for which it received its specific name. The color of the back ranges from reddish or buff to gray-fawn. Gray or whitish specks are clearly visible. The abdomen is brighter and lighter than the back. Winter fur is thicker and darker. The long-tailed ground squirrel can live alone in the taiga zone. The burrows are complex, with a chamber for supplies, a bedroom and a rescue passage - a branch of the burrow going up, which the animals use when the main burrow is flooded.
• Great gopher, or reddish souslik- the second largest species of gophers, body length reaches 25-35 cm. Weight can reach one and a half kilograms in front hibernation. The color of the back is dark, brownish-ochre, lighter on the sides. There are whitish ripples on the back and sides caused by the white ends of the guard hairs. Bright red spots are clearly visible on the cheeks and above the eyes. Unlike other species, it is very mobile, can move far from its burrow, and sometimes swim across rivers. In the absence of food, it moves to places richer in food.
• Speckled gopher– a small species, body length rarely reaches 20 cm. The tail is short, up to 4 cm in length. The fur is short, close-fitting, brownish-brown on the back with clearly visible, clearly defined white or whitish speckles, turning into ripples on the neck. Large eyes are surrounded by a white or yellowish border. They live in colonies, less often alone, each in its own burrow, with the exception of the mother and her brood. Feed migrations are not carried out. Food reserves are kept insignificant in case of drought. There are cases of cannibalism - eating living and dead relatives. Listed in the Red Book.
• Daurian ground squirrel- small appearance. The body is usually about 18-19 cm long, the tail rarely reaches 6 cm. The back is light, with a rusty-red tint. The sides are yellowish, the ventral part is fawn or yellowish-fawn. It does not form colonies, lives alone, sometimes settles in the burrows of marmots or pikas. The burrows are simple, without branches or earthen discharge. Before going into hibernation, it plugs the hole into the hole with an earthen plug. They can live near populated areas.
• Beringian, or American The gopher belongs to the largest species. The body length of the northern representatives reaches 31-39 cm. The tail is long and fluffy. The color of the back is brownish or buffy, with clearly visible white speckles. The abdomen is bright, fawn-red. Winter fur is lighter. Lives in colonies of up to 50 individuals. The burrows are deep and branched. Before hibernation, they begin to accumulate reserves, which are used in the spring after awakening. During the feeding period, they have a more predatory lifestyle than other gophers - they willingly eat beetles, caterpillars, grasshoppers, sometimes even spiders, and the percentage of animal food is higher than plant food.
• Red-cheeked ground squirrel- medium size type. The body length ranges from 23-28 cm. The tail does not exceed a centimeter in length. The color is brownish or gray-ocher, without whitish shading with brown ripples. Mottling occurs in young individuals. It got its name from the bright red markings on its cheeks. Leads a colonial lifestyle. The burrows are simple, without branches, with a nest of dry grass at the very end. In some areas it is a natural carrier of plague.
• Yellow gopher– despite its impressive size (up to 40 cm), it is the most timid species. It is distinguished by an almost uniform fur color of fawn and yellow-fawn shades with a slightly darker back. By appearance somewhat similar to marmots. Before crawling out of its hole, the animal sticks its head out and looks around. He always eats standing upright and looking out for potential danger. The reason for this behavior is a solitary lifestyle. In low vegetation it can feed while sitting or even lying down. The yellow gopher sleeps the longest - its hibernation lasts 8-9 months.

Range, habitats

They live in Eurasia from the Arctic Circle to the southern latitudes. Also found in North America. Most often they live in temperate latitudes, inhabiting tundra, forest-tundra, steppe, meadow-steppe, meadows, but they can also inhabit mountainous areas, deserts, and semi-deserts. Leads a ground-underground lifestyle in open, elevated areas. They can settle near villages, railways, in abandoned factories, in the basements and foundations of abandoned houses, in abandoned fields. Sometimes they settle in meadow valleys near rivers.

Gopher diet

The diet includes both plant and animal foods. Most feed on aboveground and underground parts of plants - roots, bulbs, tubers, leaves, stems. They cause great damage to crops of grain, melons and legumes. Stocks are made from dry grass, seeds herbaceous plants and trees (maple, hazel, apricots), cereal grains. Polar species feed on moss.

This is interesting! Animal food includes caterpillars, ground beetles, locusts, and grasshoppers. They do not disdain worms and chafer larvae.

They will not refuse to feast on the eggs of birds nesting on the ground, small chicks, and can destroy the nest of a vole or hamster. In some species, cannibalism occurs, especially in dense colonies among young animals, and necrophagy - eating the corpses of their relatives. When living near settlements, people can steal crackers, grains, root crops, and collect food waste in garbage dumps and landfills. In gardens they can eat radishes, beets, carrots, flowers and bulbs of tulips and gladioli, digging them out of the beds.

Gophers are a genus of small rodents of the squirrel family.

• Body length is 14-40 cm,
• The tail is 4-25 cm long.
• The hind legs are slightly longer than the front legs.
• The ears are short and sparsely pubescent.

Color

The back is green to purple, often with dark ripples, longitudinal dark stripes, light streaks or small spots. There are light stripes along the sides of the body. The belly is dirty yellow or whitish. In winter the coat becomes soft and thick; in summer it is sparse, short and coarse. There are cheek pouches.

What does it eat?

The diet of gophers includes above-ground and underground parts of plants that grow near their burrows. Some species also feed on animal food, usually insects. Gophers make large reserves of food from the seeds of herbaceous plants and grains of cultivated cereals.

Where does it live?

Ground squirrels are found in steppe, forest-steppe, meadow-steppe and forest-tundra landscapes of temperate latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere. Live on open areas, in meadow areas of river valleys, in semi-deserts and even deserts, along mountain steppes they rise to heights of up to 3500 m above sea level.

Common types

Body length up to 30 cm. Tail up to 18 cm long, thick. The fur is spotted. The back and top of the head are motley, with gray and light brown and dark colors. The belly is light. The fur around the eyes is white and the fur around the ears is black.

The species is distributed in Mexico and the western United States.

Body length is from 17 to 23 cm, tail is 5-7 cm long. The back is gray-brownish in color with yellowish-white ripples. The sides are rusty-yellowish, the belly is yellowish. There are light rings around the eyes. Tail with a dark border at the end.

Found in southeast Central and of Eastern Europe, in Germany, Poland, Austria, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and up to the European part of Turkey and Moldova, in Ukraine. A rare species, protected in many European countries.

A small long-tailed species with a body length from 18 to 23 cm, the tail is 4-6.5 cm long. The back is light, yellowish. gray with a rusty tint, without stains. The top of the head and the spots under the eyes are dark. The throat is white, the belly is yellowish-fawn, the sides are yellowish-gray.

The species is endemic Trans-Baikal Territory. It is also found in eastern Mongolia and northeastern China.

The species got its name because of the chestnut-brown or red spots on its cheeks. The body length is 24-28 cm. The tail is short. The back and head from above are brownish-ochre to gray-ocher.

Common in the south Western Siberia, Mongolia and China, lives in lowland semi-deserts and dry feather grass steppes.

One of the large species with a body length from 23 to 38 cm. Tail length 6-12 cm. Weight of males 700-900 g, females 600-800 g, before hibernation reaches 1.6 kg. It is called the yellow gopher due to the uniform, sandy-yellow color of its back. The sides are lighter, the belly is ocher-yellowish. The tail is light yellow on the outside and darker on the inside.

The habitat includes the lower Volga region, Kazakhstan and most of lowland Central Asia.

The body length of the species is from 23 to 30 cm. The body is colored golden brown, with black stripes on the sides. Externally, it looks a bit like chipmunks.

Lives in western North America.

A large species with a body length from 24 to 33 cm, a tail 6-10 cm long, weight before hibernation up to 1.4 kg. The back is dark, ocher Brown, sides are reddish. There are whitish ripples on the back. The head is silver-gray on top. There are red or brown spots above the eyes and on the cheeks. The belly is grayish-yellow.

The species is found in the lowland and foothill steppes of Russia and northern Kazakhstan.

The body length reaches 24 cm, the tail is about 5 cm long. The back is gray with a brownish or yellowish tint, with slight spotting. The sides and belly are lighter than the back, dirty gray with a yellowish-fawn tint.

Distributed in the Elbrus region, in the Kuban and Terek basins.

A large species with a body length from 25 to 33 cm. Weight is 700-800 g. The tail is fluffy, reaching 13 cm in length. The size and weight of the species increase from south to north. The back is brownish-ochre in color with a pattern of light spots, the head is dark, brownish-rusty in color. The belly is bright, pale-rusty. Winter wool is light, grayish.

Lives in Eurasia and North America.

Small view. Body length is from 19 to 24 cm, weight is about 450 g. The tail is short. The back is earthy gray to gray-fawn-yellowish in color, spotted or rippled. The head is buffy, darker than the back. The belly is grayish, the throat is whitish. The sides are dull, gray with a yellow tint.

The species lives in flat and low-mountain steppes and semi-deserts in the Dnieper region, Ciscaucasia, and the Lower Volga region.

The body length is 20-28 cm, the tail is long, from 5 to 8 cm. Outwardly similar to the gray and Daurian ground squirrels. The back is ocher-brown in color, with noticeable ripples. The belly and sides are grayish-ochre in color.

It is found on the mountain slopes of the Tien Shan and Pamir-Alai, at altitudes from 500-800 to 3000-3300 m above sea level.

Body length is 35-46 cm, including the tail, weight is in the range of 400-600 g. Males are larger in size than females. The upperparts are brown, the underparts are white or light gray.

Its habitat includes the northern United States and Canada.

Body length is from 29 to 32 cm. Weight is in the range of 200-350 g. The fur is dark gray-brown. On the sides there are white stripes framed in black.

Found in the Cascade Mountains of British Columbia (Canada) and Washington State (USA).

Body length is from 17 to 26 cm, short tail, 3-5.5 cm, weight up to 500 g. Males are larger than females. The head is large, the eyes are large. The ears are reduced. The legs are short. The fur is short and sparse, long only on the tail. The back is bright, motley: white or yellow spots. The top of the head is colored the same as the back. There is a light ring around the eyes and brown spots under the eyes. The neck and head are white below. The belly is light gray to ocher-yellow.

Lives in the steppes and forest-steppes in eastern Europe, from the Danube and Prut to the middle reaches of the Volga.

A large species with a body length from 20 to 32 cm, weighing 300-500 g. The tail is fluffy. Size and weight increase to the east and north of the range. The back is brownish-buffy, the sides and shoulders are red. The belly is bright, reddish-yellow.

The habitat includes the Eastern Tien Shan, the Dzungarian Alatau, the Tarbagatai Mountains, Southern Siberia, Transbaikalia, Mongolia, and China.

Body length is 43-54 cm, weight from 600 to 850 g. Males are larger than females. The fur is blackish-brown in color with a beautiful pattern.

The species is distributed from the southwestern United States to Mexico.

Male and female: main differences

Sexual dimorphism in ground squirrels is weakly expressed. In some species, males are larger than females in size.

Behavior

Gophers lead a terrestrial lifestyle. They usually live in colonies, in burrows that they dig themselves. The length of the mink and its structure vary depending on different types gophers and depend on their habitats. On sandy soils, the burrows are long, up to 15 m, and about 3 m deep. On dense clay soils they do not exceed 5-7 m. Inside the hole there is a nesting chamber, which the gophers line with dry grass. In case of danger, gophers are known to stand on their hind legs and whistle.

Young animals are active from 9-10 to 15-16 hours, adults leave their burrows twice a day: 1-2 hours after dawn, and from 14-15 hours before sunset. Adult males and females who have not given birth go into hibernation in early July, females after giving birth - in early August, young animals remain active until early September.

Reproduction

Winter hibernation for gophers ends in late March-early April. The males are the first to awaken. After the females awaken, the mating season begins, at which time fights often occur between males.

The duration of pregnancy is from 25 to 28 days; the first babies are born at the end of April. There are from 2 to 9 of them in the brood, the average weight is 4.5 g, body length is 3.5-4 cm.

On the 8-9th day, the babies' eyes open, on the 15-16th day they become covered with fur. They emerge from their burrows at the end of May. The resettlement of young animals begins in mid-June. Females dig temporary burrows for their offspring.

Natural enemies

Previously, gophers were the main food for predatory mammals (for example, the steppe ferret) and birds (the steppe eagle,). Due to population decline, this role has decreased.

• Large species of gophers are the object of the fur trade. Early spring skins imitate mink. The lard of the yellow gopher is edible and is also used for technical purposes.
• Gophers are used for special sport hunting - varminting (a type of high-precision shooting at long and ultra-long distances against rodents (marmots, gophers, rats and other small animals).
• Many species of gophers are pests of grain crops, melons and garden crops, as well as natural carriers of pathogens such as plague, tularemia, and brucellosis.

Who is the gopher? Where does he live? What does a gopher eat? If you are interested in finding out the answers to such questions, then read this article.

Description

The gopher is a small mammal of the order of rodents of the squirrel family. There are about 40 species of this animal on earth. They differ in body size from 15 to 40 cm, of which the tail occupies half of the entire length. The colors come in different colors (from green to purple, with various stripes or spots along the back). These rodents live in large colonies.

As a rule, they live in one family in dug burrows, the length of which varies from 5 to 20 meters, depending on the type of soil. Each gopher digs its own burrows; females have deeper dwellings, males have less. Often, after hibernation, these animals occupy unoccupied shelters and gradually deepen them.

Each burrow has a special room, insulated with hay, straw and leaves, in which the animal remains to hibernate until spring. All food supplies are stored there. Gophers eat it throughout the entire sleep period. During wintering, all passages leading to this room are closed, and the animal makes a small upward depression. In spring, the rodent makes an exit vertically upward. It is common for all types of gophers to stock up on large amounts of provisions during hibernation. It is noteworthy that this species of mammals hibernates not only in winter during periods of cold weather and lack of food, but also in summer during drought, especially rodents living in desert areas. But, for example, the Arctic ground squirrel hibernates for up to nine months a year.

Hibernation

The state of torpor or hibernation in these animals is a unique phenomenon that many scientists still cannot solve. Experts, for example, cannot understand how gophers manage to maintain their body under the following conditions:

1. Their body temperature drops to -3 degrees.
2. The frequency of heartbeat is from one to five times per minute.
3. Breathing varies from a series of ten inhalations and exhalations to an hour-long break.

The hibernation period is interrupted by rare awakenings to stretch the limbs, defecate and consume food.

Life expectancy and some other characteristics

In a state of activity, the ground squirrel’s body temperature is about forty degrees, the pulse is more than 350 beats per minute, and the respiratory rate is more than 200 times. is quite small and, depending on the variety, does not exceed five years.

Reproduction and nutrition

Females in late April-early May give birth to 3 to 8 cubs, which they carry for about a month. Distinctive feature females are the presence of four to six pairs of nipples. By autumn, the cubs are already independent enough to dig their own hibernation holes and prepare the necessary supplies of food. The animals reach puberty in the spring during the rutting period.

Young individuals go into hibernation last, just after adult males and females that have given birth, as they barely have time to accumulate the required amount of fat. In years when early frosts occur, many rodents die.

Gophers: what do they eat during the cold season?

Now let's look at this issue in detail. What does a gopher eat in cold weather to withstand such colossal loads on the body? The main portion of the diet consists of plant foods. What do gophers eat in the steppe? These animals consume tubers, stems, seeds, cereals, that is, the entire plant. Food production occurs within one territory, which is furiously marked and protected by its owner.

What do gophers eat in the steppe? Some species of these rodents, in addition to plant food, eat insects, frogs and other small animals that they can catch. This way of feeding allows gophers to accumulate a unique food in that it freezes only at a temperature of -18 degrees.

Its share in the gopher's body can be up to 80% of its body weight. Before hibernation, rodents devote the whole day to searching for food. An individual can live completely without food for one month. Therefore, you need to think about your nutrition in advance.

Feeding

At home, the animal eats various crops, which form the basis of its daily diet. What does a gopher eat? What can you give to animals at home? First of all, these are succulent grasses growing near the burrows and various cereal crops. This can be wheat, oats and others, ripened and milky sunflowers or seeds from them, beets, carrots, bread.

You can also purchase specially formulated mixtures for gophers or other rodents at a pet store. Depending on the species of these mammals, you can indulge your pet, just make sure that in the wild they actually consume insects. When buying a pet at a pet store, it is best to consult with the seller about what a gopher of this species eats and what cannot be added to the rodent’s diet.

Conclusion

Now you know who the gopher is. This is a very interesting animal that hibernates and not only in winter. We also told you what the animal eats in nature and what gophers should eat at home.