Gopher breeding. Spotted ground squirrel. Where does the gopher live

Gophers are very funny and cute rodents. We very often hear funny and affectionate nicknames that are somehow associated with this animal. But what is known about these animals? How and what do they eat? How do they protect their offspring? What are the adaptations to the conditions environment? These are the questions that will be answered in the article.

Morphological features of gophers

1. The mass of gophers does not exceed two kilograms.
2. The body length of mammals does not exceed twenty centimeters.
3. Males are twice as large as females (thus, these mammals have very pronounced sexual dimorphism).
4. Gophers have a gray-brown color. This coat color is an excellent camouflage.
5. Vision in gophers, like in many animals that conduct a large number of time underground, bad. (Therefore, very often they can be seen on various elevations in the immediate vicinity of their holes.)
6. The jaw of gophers has protruding incisors (fangs, like all rodents, they do not have). Such tooth modifications allow them to create underground passages without swallowing the earth.
7. Gophers, like humans, have lacrimal glands (only they are slightly enlarged) that allow mammals to get rid of dust and dirt that gets into their eyes. For the same reasons, gophers have a barely noticeable auricle.
8. The tail of gophers has special sensitive endings that allow rodents to navigate very quickly and accurately in numerous underground passages.

Behavioral features of gophers

• Gophers have a very well developed care for offspring. This is due to the fact that newborn animals are deaf, blind and have no hair (it appears on them only one week after birth, and after two weeks they gain sight).
• Young cubs live in a separate hole dug out by their mother (since they are completely unarmed in the fight against natural enemies - in the first weeks of life they do not have an antidote to the poisons of various snakes).
• Sometimes snakes penetrate holes with cubs of rodents, then their mother shows unprecedented courage in the fight against such a dangerous enemy: she stands on her lower paws and starts waving her fluffy tail, visually increasing in size. The mother does not retreat from protection up to the bites of poisonous snakes.
• A surprising fact is the ability of gophers to sound notification of their relatives. Moreover, mammals make various sounds (most often it is a piercing squeak or a deafening whistle), it all depends on who is on this moment is their natural enemy: Human, predatory bird, a snake or other equally dangerous animals.
• Gophers, like many mammals, hibernate. They store the amount of fat necessary to maintain life processes and go into their holes. Males can begin their long sleep even at the height of hot summer - in mid-July. Waking up in early March, the animals begin to look for sexual partners for procreation. Thus, hibernation can reach 7.5 months, and this is a large half of the year. What is it like to sleep through most of your life?

Physiological features of gophers

The female brings one brood per year, in which there are from two to twelve cubs. Pregnancy is short (23-28 days). Sexual maturity occurs closer to six months.

Gophers live from one year to three years. If they are in favorable environmental conditions, then most of them live up to five years.

There are real centenarians among these small rodents: there are times when individual representatives of the species live up to seven or eight years.

Gophers have a huge number of enemies: antelopes, coyotes, foxes, wolves, badgers, hawks, eagles and snakes. It is noteworthy that in adult mammals, an antidote to snake venom is produced in the body, which makes it possible to avoid death.

But one of the most dangerous enemies for them continues to be a man. (Large representatives of certain species are of great interest in the fur trade for the production of various types of fur products: vests, coats, hats and shoes.) Gophers often serve as an object of sport hunting, which is called warming.

Gophers can rightly be called true vegetarians, since the basis of their diet is various modifications of shoots (such as flowers, leaves and bulbs), seeds (maple, hazel, apricots and other angiosperms), berries, acorns, fruits and modifications of the main roots of plants (carrots, radishes and other no less juicy vegetables).

But they are not averse to feasting on delicacies in the form of grasshoppers, worms, beetles, caterpillars, and locusts. Such nutrition significantly enriches the body with such important building material like protein.

Gophers have two meals a day (the first meal occurs early in the morning, the second - late at night). They eat quickly enough, stuffing their cheeks to the bone (and this expression in this case is not just a saying, because before chewing thoroughly, rodents place their food in the recesses near the mouth, which serve as a kind of bags).

The influence of rodents on human life

• The fact is that gophers are carriers of very dangerous, and often fatal diseases for humans. For example, brucellosis, plague, and tularemia.
• Since the main food is the seeds and fruits of plants, often agricultural land becomes a constant source of delicacy for rodents, which is very detrimental to the crop.
• Gophers are one of decorative species pets. With talented training and incredible intelligence of animals, small mammals can even learn to carry out individual commands.

Hopefully in the future people will find more safe means fight against negative influence gophers on agriculture and they, in turn, will continue to delight us and our loved ones.

The gopher animal is a close relative of the squirrel. This small rodent, who deserved the fame of an unwanted guest for people.

What is this small, seemingly harmless creature? Let's try to find out a little more about him.

In our country there are several species of this animal. The most common of these are the lesser ground squirrel, the speckled ground squirrel, and the greater ground squirrel. Some scientists distinguish the thin-legged ground squirrel into a separate category. However, despite the different species, all ground squirrels are similar to each other in behavior, nutrition and the way of breeding offspring.

Appearance of an animal called gopher

Depending on the species, these rodents have some differences in appearance, but we will indicate the average size of these animals.

Medium body length adult ground squirrel is from 20 to 38 centimeters. The tail, as a rule, is half as long as the body, it is very fluffy in the ground squirrel.

The ears have a slightly underdeveloped appearance, they are more like a roller. The front legs of the animal are shorter than the hind legs. Since this animal belongs to rodents, it has very well developed teeth, they are able to gnaw through hard roots.

Where do gophers live

These animals can be found on a vast territory located in the northern hemisphere. They are attracted by steppe zones, as well as meadow-steppe areas. In addition, ground squirrels can settle in the forest-tundra zone.

Sometimes the populations of these animals reach the Arctic Circle and even beyond it. They meet gophers not only on the flat terrain, but also in the mountains, where they rise to a height of 3.5 thousand meters above sea level.

The way of life of gophers, their behavior in nature and nutrition

Gophers are colonial animals. For a comfortable stay, these rodents dig holes for themselves. If the soil allows. Then underground they build entire tunnels. Sometimes the depth of the gopher hole can be 3 meters. And the length of such a structure can be about 15 meters!

Inside such a dwelling, something like a nest is often created, where gophers hibernate and breed. "Nest" is covered with grass and other natural material for softness and warmth.
But these animals do not spend a lot of time in holes, because. Mostly. They lead a terrestrial lifestyle. Activity is manifested in ground squirrels in the morning. But if they did not have time to do all the things in the morning, then they can continue to be active in the evening.

The diet of these animals consists of all kinds of herbs, grains, rhizomes. Gophers and seeds are eaten.

In winter, ground squirrels hibernate in their warm and deep burrows. Sometimes, due to the lack of food during the summer season, these rodents may also fall asleep.

gopher breeding

Waking up after winter sleep, gophers start breeding offspring. The female bears babies for about a month. Gophers are born from 5 to 7 cubs, but maximum amount- 13 kids. Newborns stay with their mother for no longer than one and a half months, after this period of time, the female simply drives her children out to “free bread”.

The ground squirrel is a medium-sized rodent, a representative of squirrels, a pest and carrier of plague, tularemia and brucellosis. Due to the significant harm that this animal can cause to farmland, it is constantly being varminted - sport hunting.

The animal, communicating with its relatives, constantly makes peculiar sounds. It is this feature that formed the basis of the name of a small rodent. In the Old Slavonic language, the word "susati" means "to hiss".

Description of the gopher

The size of the body of the animal varies from 16 to 26 cm, especially large individuals can reach 39 cm. Among ground squirrels, sexual dimorphism is observed: females are always lighter and smaller than males. The mass of rodents can reach 1500 grams, but in most cases the animal weighs about 190 g.

The gopher's hind legs are slightly longer than the front. On the limbs there are sharp strong claws that help rodents dig holes.

The head of the animals is small, elongated. The ears look a little underdeveloped. They are covered with a little fluff. The eyes are small with well developed lacrimal glands. Thanks to this, the cornea is reliably protected from dust.

The structure of the jaw allows rodents to dig holes without swallowing the earth. Some representatives of marmots have well-developed cheek pouches. They enable the animal to carry food into the hole.

The presence of gophers in the field is easy to determine by the whistle. Animals, standing on their hind legs, constantly squeak. Peculiar voice signals are heard first from one side, then from the other. Thus, the family of rodents communicates with each other, informing the representatives of their group about the danger, the availability of food.

Depending on the species, the tail of an animal can be from 4 to 26 cm long. Sometimes it is almost equal in size to the body. The tail of rodents performs a number of functions:

• in the steppe, to prevent overheating, the animal hides behind it like an umbrella;
• in the hole, the gopher feels the walls with it, thus orienting itself in space;
• in winter, a sleeping gopher is covered with it like a blanket.

In the warm season, the coat of the animal is coarse, short, not thick. By cold weather, it becomes very soft and fluffy. Depending on the habitat, the color of the back of animals also changes. It can be with dark stripes, spotted, sandy, brown, greenish. The abdomen is usually yellowish or white.

How many live gophers?

Under natural conditions, no more than three years. As pets, some individuals live up to eight.

Gopher lives in temperate latitudes. It can be found in the forest-tundra and steppes of the Northern Hemisphere. Most often, the rodent prefers to settle in open landscapes.

The animal leads a terrestrial lifestyle. It digs holes on its own, the length of which depends entirely on the soil. So, on sandy lands, it can reach 16 m, on clay soils no more than 8. Inside the hole, there is often a nesting chamber, carefully lined with grass. Where the gopher lives, you can see sand mounds in front of the entrance.

Animals are active in daytime. They rarely stray far from their burrow. Rodents settle in colonies of 19-29 individuals. Several ground squirrels constantly guard near holes. If they see danger, they immediately give a signal to the rest of the family. To protect their lives, rodents settle not far from animals similar to ground squirrels - marmots. They also carefully monitor the environment and emit signals at the slightest threat. When danger appears, gophers stand on their hind limbs and whistle.

What do gophers eat? Despite the fact that the basis of the diet of rodents is plant foods, their diet varies greatly depending on the species and habitat.

In the highlands, the animal feeds on 78 plant species. Of these, 19 are annuals, 49 are perennials, and 7 are semi-shrubs. In the spring, the roots of the Tien Shan onion, dandelions, mountaineer, and tulips enter the diet of the rodent. When greenery appears, the upper shoots of plants are eaten.

In the middle of summer, rodents eat grass and seeds of the Zeravshan small-petal, dandelion, bluegrass, mountaineer, geranium, and holly.

Also, animals eat mushrooms and berries, young branches of willows and dwarf birch. The diet of gophers also includes animal feed: insects, voles, small birds. They do not disdain carrion.

During the experiment, it was found that in the presence of a sufficient amount of food, only lactating and pregnant females ate the corpses of other animals.

Gopher breeding season

After the females awaken from hibernation, the mating season begins. The breeding process is short. The mating season lasts about 11 days. However, in some cases, its duration increases to a month.

Females give birth once a year. Their pregnancy lasts 29 days. Cubs are born in May.

There are 3-16 cubs in the litter. But most often the number of cubs does not exceed 9. The number of newborn marmots is in direct proportion to the habitat, a sufficient amount of food.

Lactation in females lasts 33 days. Males do not take part in the upbringing of the young.

Cubs are born blind. Their eyes open 21 days after birth. After 28 days, the young ground squirrel begins to feed on grass and move around. However, he continues to feed on milk. Having strengthened, the juveniles leave the burrows for the first time. After a few days, young gophers begin to look for a home not far from their family.

Small representatives of rodents reach puberty by the next spring. The inhabitants northern regions they start breeding only after several hibernations.

In the first year, 69% of juveniles die. This is facilitated by predators, the late onset of spring.

Hibernation in rodents lasts for six months. The ground squirrel sleeps, sitting on its hind limbs, pressing its head against its abdomen and covering itself with its tail. During sleep, the animal loses half its weight. That is why it is so important that the animal accumulates a sufficient amount of fat during the warm season. Otherwise, it may die.

Some time before hibernation, American ground squirrels begin to produce steroids in their bodies. Their number exceeds the average by 199 times. This allows you to increase muscle mass many times over. Experts have found that the adrenal glands help produce this amount of hormones. An interesting fact is that in gophers, under the influence of steroids, only muscle mass increases, other tissues are not affected by it.

With the onset of cold weather, rodents climb into their holes. There the temperature does not exceed zero degrees.

Winter is a real test for many animals. A sleeping gopher copes with frost thanks to anabolic hormones. During hibernation, the body's metabolism does not stop.

Accumulated fat does not provide the necessary for the vital organs of nutrition. The necessary glucose is synthesized from muscle proteins.

Animals hibernate not only because of the onset of cold weather. Often this is due to a lack sunlight. The body of rodents cannot cope with the winter change of night and day.

Once ground squirrels climb into their burrows, their circadian rhythms are blocked. Their body temperature at this time drops to -3°C. To prevent the blood from turning into ice, rodents cleanse it of all impurities that can freeze.

The duration of sleep of animals depends on the habitat. In the southern regions, hibernation is very short, in the northern regions it lasts up to six months.

Types of gophers

Specialists count 9 species of ground squirrels living in Russia. In other latitudes, there are about 29 of these rodents. The most studied species include:

A small animal with a short tail. The body does not exceed 23 cm. The hair on the back is brown with speckles. Light rings are clearly visible around the eyes. Small cheek pouches.

Gophers live up to Turkey. They nest in small groups of up to 10 individuals.

The burrow has two entrances. Inside are three chambers carefully covered with grass. They are located at a depth of about 90 cm.

The habitat of this species of ground squirrels consists of small isolated areas. The animal is under protection, as it is threatened with extinction.

The body weight of a rodent can reach 790 g, the body length is 39 cm. The sizes of females and males are the same, but the weight of the latter is much larger. The tail is 12 cm long and fluffy.

Depending on the habitat, the size of the animals varies.

The back of the ground squirrel is brownish with light large spots. The head is brown. The belly is bright, fawn. In winter, the skin of the animal becomes light.

The habitat of the animal is Eurasia and North America. Rodents live in families. The number of individuals in them can reach 49.

The body of the animal reaches a length of 31 cm. The tail is 9 cm. The back is brown. The head is grey. The big gopher has red sides and paws. In the area of ​​​​the eyes there are spots of an ocher shade.

The big ground squirrel prefers to settle in forb steppes and forest-steppes. Often its burrows are located on roadsides, pastures. They are rarely seen on the forest edges. The big ground squirrel never settles on clay soils.

The basis of the diet is bulbs, grass leaves, grains of cereal plants. The big ground squirrel rarely uses animal food. It makes long journeys in search of food.

The big gopher comes out of hibernation in the middle of spring. First, adult males wake up, only then females. Starting in July, the big gopher prepares for hibernation.

The big ground squirrel is a pest of cultivated plants. Deals special damage to crops. Because of this, it is exterminated. The big ground squirrel is not a game animal.

The size of the rodent does not exceed 22 cm. This is one of the smallest representatives of the species. The back is light, sometimes with speckles. The soles are bare. There is a slightly pronounced border on the tail.

Habitat from Lake Balkhash to the Dnieper. The northern border is located south of Poltava, the southern border is up to the Crimean mountains. The largest number of rodents is in Kazakhstan.

The animal is active during daylight hours, but when temperatures rise, it seeks refuge in a hole. During drought, it hibernates, sometimes turning into winter sleep.

The basis of the diet is made up of annual wheatgrass, thin-legged, tulip, onion, wormwood.

An animal similar to a small gopher. Length 23 cm. The back is dark, the spotting on it is weak. The belly and sides are grey. Similar to ground squirrels, it was considered a kind of small ground squirrels.

Inhabits the low-mountain meadows of the Caucasus. The burrows are shallow, the nest chamber is small. Feeds mainly plant food. There are up to 4 cubs in a litter.

It is a natural carrier of such a dangerous disease as the plague.

Body up to 25 cm. Superciliary and cheek spots of ocher-rusty color. Fur does not change with the change of seasons.

The rodent is common in Siberia, Kazakhstan, the Caucasus, and Mongolia. Prefers to settle in semi-desert areas and feather grass steppes. On arable land, it rarely digs holes.

Rodents live in families. Each animal has its own territory. Burrows are shallow. Rodents breed in late spring. There are up to 11 cubs in a litter. It feeds on cereals.

The red-cheeked ground squirrel is a carrier of tularemia and plague.

The largest representative of the species. The length of the body can reach 38 cm, the tail 11 cm. The back of the steppe ground squirrel is yellow with a small amount of dark hairs. The belly is slightly lighter than the top. Winter fur is very different from summer fur.

The yellow ground squirrel digs long deep burrows. In addition to permanent ones, there are rescue and temporary ones. The nest is lined with leaves and grass. Habitat - loess-sandy deserts, foothill areas, river valleys. Where the rodent lives, the territory always has a diverse landscape. The main food source is tulips and cereals. Doesn't drink water.

The yellow ground squirrel is active in the evening and in the morning. In the heat, he sits in a hole, closing the entrance with a plug of wet sand. Hibernation begins in summer and lasts until the end of winter.

Pregnancy lasts 29 days. There are up to 11 cubs in a litter.

Steppe ground squirrel practically does not harm crops. The rodent is a carrier of tularemia, relapsing tick-borne fever, and plague.

Another name is Eversman's gopher. In animals, unlike other representatives of the species, the auricle is more developed. Body length reaches 31 cm.

The fur in winter is gray, fluffy, thick.

Gophers live in Transbaikalia. There rodents eat 49 species of plants. Animals give preference to legumes. The diet also includes cereals, onions, sedges.

The animal often roams, can travel up to 149 km.

The burrows are complex, they have earthen discharges in front of the entrance. There is a flood protection in front of the nesting chamber, which is a sharply raised passage.

After hibernation, rodents eat very little. Waking up, animals eat sagebrush branches that are not covered with snow. As soon as thawed patches appear, gophers begin to dig up the roots of cereal plants. With the advent of heat and the appearance of fresh greenery, the diet of rodents is enriched with young shoots.

In summer, ground squirrels bite off the top three leaves of the plant. If the stems are very high, then they bend them with their paws. Animals can eat dandelion and lumbago flowers.

IN summer months animals are happy to eat various insects, mice, chicks, mushrooms and berries.

When food is scarce, cases of cannibalism occur.

A small rodent with a short tail. The body does not exceed 21 cm. The back is variegated. In juveniles, the speckles are often arranged in rows. The underside of the head is white. Chest yellow.

Pregnancy lasts 29 days. There are up to 7 cubs in a litter. It feeds on bluegrass, oats, feather grass fescue.

Plague carrier.

Cute outwardly rodent attracts the attention of people who love pets. However, gophers are not well suited for keeping as a pet. It is extremely problematic to tame a rodent. In addition, animals emit a specific unpleasant odor.

Gophers are often used for experiments and observations in laboratories. When breeding rodents are placed in large enclosures in groups. It is best if the cages will be in the open air. Where the gopher lives, it should be cool. In warm rooms, animals do not breed and die soon.

For a pair of rodents, a cage of 1.9 × 1.9 is arranged. The foundation must be high, concrete. All kinds of shelters are located inside the enclosure: pipes, boxes. It should also contain containers with water, logs.

At the end of summer, domestic gophers are placed in an aviary with a large amount of leaves and straw, which are needed as bedding. As soon as the gophers begin to hibernate, the cage is covered with the same material. During suspended animation, animals are kept alone.

With the onset of spring, the females wake up and are ready to mate. After 32 days, cubs are born. It is extremely important, 41 days after birth, to remove them from the cage with the female. Otherwise, the juveniles may be eaten.

At home, it is better to keep thin-toed ground squirrels. They adapt more easily to humans, more calmly endure captivity.

It depends on the diet how long the gophers live. Animal diets should be based on:

• granular feed;
• corn;
• vegetables;
• sunflower;
• corn;
• flour worms;
• gammarus;
• grass;
• fruits.

You can sometimes add beef bones and dog biscuits to the feed. Clover, plantain, dandelion are well eaten by rodents. Hay should be collected away from roads and well dried.

So that the pet does not have problems with teeth, branches of pear, apple, willow are placed in the aviary.

Interesting Facts about gophers:

• When a snake enters a hole, the female gopher stands across the passage and waves its tail. This creates the feeling that it is much larger than its real size. The female protects her cubs even after she is bitten by a snake.
• Juvenile rodents hibernate last, after adult animals.
• The territory where the gopher family lives is always guarded by several individuals. They stand motionless on their hind legs and, if they see a threat, they emit a shrill squeak. It serves as a warning to all other animals.
• Rodents communicate with each other using ultrasound. At the same time, a person distinguishes a barely audible hoarse whisper.
• The dream of an animal is similar to deep suspended animation. The rodent at this time can be taken out of the hole, but he still will not wake up.
• The yellow gopher can hibernate for up to 9 months.
• Earth emissions at the entrance to the hole are called ground squirrel.
• An animal similar to a gopher lives in the Caucasus. Despite the same phenotype, it belongs to the marmot order. This rodent is a carrier of diseases dangerous to humans.

The steppe animal gopher is not a very large rodent, which belongs to the squirrel family. In the steppe zone, it is one of the most common inhabitants. In addition, the yellow ground squirrel is the largest representative of its species.

Appearance

The body length of an adult gopher is 25-37 cm. The weight ranges from 0.9 to 1.5 kg. The length of the tail is approximately 35% of the total length (7-13 cm). The cheek pouches are poorly developed.

Gopher steppe zone has a sandy-yellow coat color interspersed with dark hair. From the sides and in the abdomen, the color of the fur has a lighter shade. There are two stripes on the tail: the outer one is light yellow, the inner one is dark yellow. In young individuals, the color of the fur is paler, with an admixture of brown hairs.

Lifestyle and nutrition

The life of a gopher in the steppe takes place against the backdrop of desert landscapes, which is probably why it is also called "sandstone". The rodent lives in semi-deserts, as well as in the steppe zone of the Lower Volga region and in the west of Kazakhstan. In the territory Central Asia it is found in clay deserts and semi-deserts. Sometimes the creature is found in the area of ​​irrigated lands, and even near human settlements.

As for what gophers eat in the steppe, in this regard, their preferences come down to plant foods. Animals mainly use stems, bulbs, tubers and seeds of cereal crops as feed. The diet of rodents includes up to 30 species various plants. Before hibernation gophers spend most of the day searching for food. This is necessary in order to accumulate a sufficient amount of fat.

Gophers are animals that prefer a solitary lifestyle. If the surrounding conditions are the most favorable, then the density of rodents can reach up to 7-8 individuals per hectare. Due to the fact that the habitats are quite mosaic, animal colonies can be separated from each other by quite large distances, up to several tens and hundreds of kilometers. Each adult has its own feeding area, which it marks and defends.

The dwelling of the gopher is presented in the form of holes, which exist of several types: permanent, temporary and "rescue". They live in permanent burrows in winter, temporary ones are intended for use in summer period. The first two types of burrows are lined with dry leaves and stems, equipped with two passages and a nesting chamber. Their depth can be from 1 to 3 m, and the length - up to 7 m. As for the rescue holes, they are slightly smaller in size, and are presented in the form of a long inclined course. Gophers can also occupy the burrows of a large gerbil as housing.

The yellow ground squirrel is a very cautious and secretive rodent. Sensing danger, he hides with lightning speed in the nearest hole, and if there are no shelters near, he lies down on the ground and tries not to move. Since the color of the coat of this creature is almost the same as the color of the sandy soil, it becomes almost invisible when stationary. If the disguise did not help, and the animal continues to be in danger, then it emits a piercing whistle, which can temporarily disorient the predator.

Under natural conditions, the life expectancy of the steppe ground squirrel is 3-4 years, and the rodent reaches puberty only at 2-3 years of its existence. The main factors that negatively affect the number of these animals are bad conditions for food, spring frosts and frequent mortality of young individuals.

Life cycle

In yellow ground squirrels, the hibernation period lasts for 9 months and ends in late February - early March. First, awakening occurs in males, then in females, and only then in young individuals. Immediately after hibernation begins mating season which lasts about 2 weeks. The process of gestation in females continues for 30 days and ends with childbirth in April-May. In one litter there can be from 4 to 14 cubs. The female feeds her offspring for a little more than one month, and then the young individuals leave the mother and begin to live on their own.

With the onset of a hot period, when most of the vegetation dries up, some of the yellow ground squirrels leave the highlands for the lowlands, since the grass cover there remains fresher. However, this does not happen everywhere. For example, in Central Asia, when the weather is especially hot, rodents fall into summer hibernation, which then gradually turns into winter.

The hunting activity of people negatively affects the population of ground squirrels. In addition to humans, various predators prey on rodents. Of those animals that eat ground squirrels in the steppe, the main ones are wolves, foxes, ferrets and steppe eagles.

A small rodent belonging to the Squirrel family. One of the most major representatives of this species is the steppe ground squirrel. You can find photos and descriptions of this animal in many publications about animals, but today we also want to talk about it.

Appearance

An adult gopher has a body length of 25 to 37 cm. This animal weighs up to 1.5 kg. Approximately 35% of the total body length is the tail. You can see a photo of the steppe gopher in our article.

The hind legs of these animals are somewhat longer than the front ones. The main difference between gophers and other rodents is the shape of their ears: they are short and slightly lowered. Gophers have cheek pouches behind their cheeks.

The coat is short and thick. The color is light yellow with patches of dark hair. On the sides and belly, the fur is lighter. There are two stripes on the tail - light yellow on the outside, dark yellow on the inside.

Lifestyle

This cute animal lives in the semi-deserts in the west of Kazakhstan, in the steppe zone of the Lower Trans-Volga region. In Central Asia, it prefers to settle in clayey semi-deserts.

The steppe gopher is an animal that prefers a solitary lifestyle. Under favorable conditions, the density of rodents reaches 8 individuals per hectare. Animal colonies are sometimes several tens, and sometimes hundreds of kilometers apart. Each adult has its own feeding area, which it carefully protects.

In Russia, the following types of ground squirrels are most common: large and small, as well as speckled. Also isolated fine-toed ground squirrel.

Under natural conditions, the steppe gopher lives 3-4 years. Sexual maturity occurs in the second year of life.

Life cycle

The steppe gopher hibernates 9 months a year. In this sense, he is the champion among all hibernating animals. This period ends at the end of February. Males wake up first, only after them females, and only then young individuals. Immediately after awakening, the mating season begins. It lasts approximately two weeks.

Females bear cubs for 30 days, little gophers are born in April-May. One brood can have from 4 to 14 cubs. The female feeds the offspring for a little more than a month, then the cubs leave the mother and begin an independent life.

Young individuals begin to dig a hole for themselves on a free mound, the earth there is much softer than on virgin soil. First, an inclined passage is dug out, which is then clogged with earth from the inside. The vertical passage, which does not reach the surface of the earth a little, is constructed by the animal closer to the onset of hibernation.

The soil that the ground squirrel of the steppe zone throws out of lower layers to the surface, is very important for soil formation. Many experts are sure that thanks to steppe rodents and ground squirrels, the southern regions of Russia are rich in black soil, the most fertile in the world.

With the onset of heat, when the main part of the vegetation dries up, most ground squirrels move from the hills to the lowlands, as the grass cover remains fresh there longer. However, this is not the case in all regions. For example, in Central Asia, in hot weather, ground squirrels fall into hibernation.

The enemies of these rodents are various predators, including foxes, wolves, steppe eagles, ferrets.

Steppe ground squirrel: food

This rodent does not have a very varied diet. He prefers plant foods. As a rule, these are bulbs and stems of plants, seeds and tubers of cereal crops, of which there are more than 30 species. Before hibernation, the steppe ground squirrel spends almost the whole day in search of food. This is necessary in order to accumulate the necessary supply of fat.

dwelling

The animal lives in burrows, which it builds of several types. There are permanent, "rescue", temporary shelters. The animals live in permanent burrows in winter, in temporary burrows in summer, and the purpose of the "rescue" ones is clear from their name.

The first two types of burrows have two passages and a nesting chamber. Their depth can reach 3 meters in depth, and the length - 7 meters. "Rescue" holes are much smaller in size. It's long underground passage, inclined. In addition, sometimes a gopher can settle in the burrows of a large gerbil.

The steppe gopher is an extremely cautious and secretive animal. When danger approaches, he instantly hides in one of the nearest holes. If he has moved far from his shelters, then he lies down on the ground and freezes. Due to the color of the fur, it remains almost invisible on the ground. If this technique does not work, and the danger still persists, he emits a piercing loud whistle, which can disorient the enemy for some time.

A typical representative of the genus Gophers can be considered This is one of the smallest animals in the family, its length does not exceed 26 centimeters.

Speckled steppe ground squirrel: a brief description

He has a chiseled large head, a very mobile neck. The eyes are large and round. The paws are short, and the front ones have movable long toes. The peculiarity of the speckled gopher (however, like the animals described above) is that it has cheek pouches. They, of course, are not as big and roomy as those of a hamster. But at one time the ground squirrel carries up to several dozen plant bulbs in its bags.

The body coloration is bright and variegated. On the back Brown scattered large spots white color, this is the mottling, from which the name of the species came. The spots merge on the head and neck, forming whitish ripples. The "glasses" around the eyes stand out brightly against the background of the cheeks. The tail is decorated with a light border along the very edge. The spotted ground squirrel, unlike many of its relatives, is active during the daytime. It settles in meadows and steppes.

The spotted ground squirrel spends most of its life in an individual burrow. The animal is extremely energetic, but shy. Moving along open area, he becomes a "column" on his hind legs and looks around. A frightened gopher warns neighbors of danger with a loud whistle.

Catching a gopher is easy, but accustoming it to life in captivity is much more difficult. It is hardly possible to hope that this rodent will turn into a complaisant and responsive pet. Gophers are not used to people. In addition, their lifestyle is not very suitable for home maintenance. Early in the morning they are active, and during the day they hide in a mink. In addition, it must be borne in mind that these animals do not have a very pleasant smell.

Quite often, keeping ground squirrels in a cage shortens the life of animals, and sometimes leads to their death. Ground squirrels do not breed in a cage. But if you really want to get this funny animal, then you should keep it in a spacious aviary on fresh air. The only species that can be suitable for home keeping is the thin-toed ground squirrel. It is distinguished by its funny habits, which are very reminiscent of a squirrel.

Inside the enclosure, there must be a shelter so that your pet can safely hibernate. Cover the floor of the cage with hay or straw, which must be changed regularly. Surely the gopher needs a drinker.

Surprisingly, the steppe ground squirrel is well adapted to the heat. Interesting facts are reported by scientists.

• These rodents are not afraid of changes in body temperature up to ten degrees. For comparison, it should be remembered that a person feels unwell when the body temperature changes by half a degree. To avoid heat stroke, these animals are helped by the habit of sitting in a column: the head is at a distance from the hot soil. But they don't stay out in the heat for long. The coolness of holes and a rare shadow help out.
• The ground squirrel, an inhabitant of the steppes, eats more than 16 kilograms of grass and grain during the summer.
• The small ground squirrel is the most harmful rodent. It spoils pastures, destroys valuable fodder plants. In areas of intensive agriculture, these rodents are exterminated.
• Fighting them saves the harvest, gives a large number of skins. It cannot be said that gophers can be carriers of dangerous diseases (plague, brucellosis, etc.).