| Equipped for a subterranean life, the Southeastern Pocket Gopher's muscular front legs, thick-set front body, massive claws on its front feet, small eyes and ears, and incisors protruding beyond the lips are obvious adaptations to life in dark, snug spaces fashioned in loose soil. Fur-lined cheek pouches are the grocery bags this mammal uses to transport food from the source to its burrow system. These burrowers can be a nuisance when they dig into lawns and orchards. Efforts to control them include trapping and poisoning. They pile up a mound of sandy soil when they close the openings to their burrows, giving rise to the common name "sandy mounder." Another common name, "salamander," may be a contraction of "sandy mounder." People in its range use the name "gopher" for another animal, the gopher tortoise.
Also known as:
Sandy Mounder, Salamander, Colonial Pocket Gopher, Cumberland Island Pocket Gopher, Sherman's Pocket Gopher
Sexual Dimorphism:
Males are larger than females.
Length:
Average:
260 mm
Range:
215-324 mm
Weight:
Range:
135-208 g
References:
Rafinesque, C.S., 1817. Descriptions of seven new genera of North American quadrupeds, p. 45. American Monthly Magazine and Critical Review, 2(1):44-46.
Links:
Mammal Species of the World (opens in a new window).
Mammalian Species, American Society of Mammalogists' species account (opens in a new window).
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