NCI 2024
    Groups
    Mammals Birds Amphibians Reptiles Myxini – Hagfishes Petromyz' – Lampreys Sharks & rays Animals Holocep' – Chimaeras Ray-finned fishes Dipneusti – Lungfish Gastropoda – Snails & slugs Coelac' – Coelacanths Insecta – Insects / bugs Arachnida – Spiders & scorpions Malacostraca – Malacostracans Diplopoda – Millipedes Bivalvia – Marine molluscs Cephalopoda – Squids & octopuses Chilopoda – Centipedes Pycnogonida – Sea spiders Merostomata – Horseshoe crabs More Classes
    Filters

    Regions

    See AllSelect

    Habitat

    See AllSelect

    Geomys – Eastern pocket gophers

    Have been clocked digging tunnels at a rate of up to 6 ft (2 m) per hour, making them some of nature’s most determined excavators!

    These animals are famous for their powerful digging abilities and the fur-lined cheek pouches they use to carry food — a feature that gives all pocket gophers their name. The genus includes several species, such as the plains pocket gopher (Geomys bursarius), southeastern pocket gopher (Geomys pinetis), and others, each adapted to the specific soils and vegetation of their range. Though rarely seen above ground, these gophers are vital to their ecosystems and are true champions of the underground world.

    Eastern pocket gophers are stout, short-legged rodents with small eyes and ears, a cylindrical body, and strong front claws — all perfectly built for digging. They use their claws and large incisor teeth to break through soil, often pushing dirt to the surface in fan-shaped mounds. Their eyes and ears are reduced to help them navigate dark, narrow tunnels, and their lips close behind their teeth so they can dig without swallowing dirt. Their fur is soft and typically brown or gray, blending in well with the soil. They range in size from 5 to 10 inches (13–25 cm) depending on the species.

    What really sets Geomys apart is its lifestyle. These gophers spend nearly all their lives underground, creating long, complex tunnel systems used for nesting, storing food, and escaping predators. They are solitary and territorial — each gopher typically occupies its own burrow system. Their diet consists mainly of roots, tubers, and underground stems, which they nibble on from below the surface. They’re also known for being highly efficient hoarders, stuffing their cheek pouches full of food and carrying it to storage chambers deep in their tunnels.