Pocket gophers are rodents that spend nearly their entire lives underground, distinct from moles and groundhogs. They do not enter true hibernation when winter arrives. Instead, they remain active year-round within their subterranean tunnel systems. This constant activity means the gopher must find a continuous source of calories to maintain its body temperature and fuel its extensive digging, making its winter diet a matter of survival.
Winter Activity and Subterranean Survival
Gophers remain active through the winter due to physical adaptations. They possess a thick coat of fur and accumulate fat reserves during warmer months, helping them endure lower temperatures. Unlike hibernators, their metabolic rate does not significantly drop, meaning they must constantly forage to meet their energy demands.
The gopher’s tunnel network provides a stable microclimate warmer than the frozen ground above. They often dig deeper tunnels, sometimes two to six feet below the surface, to stay below the frost line and access unfrozen soil. Snow cover also provides a blanket of insulation, creating a subnivean layer that helps maintain temperatures within the burrow system.
Primary Winter Diet: Roots, Tubers, and Caches
The winter diet centers on plant materials that remain viable underground. The primary food source is the extensive root systems of perennial plants, trees, and shrubs encountered while extending burrows. Gophers are herbivores that specialize in consuming the fleshy, nutrient-dense parts of plants found beneath the surface.
Gophers actively seek out large taproots of plants like alfalfa and dandelions, which provide substantial food reserves. They also target underground storage organs, including bulbs and tubers. Garden favorites such as tulip bulbs, daffodils, carrots, and potatoes remain dormant and intact in the soil, making them prime targets for winter feeding.
Food caching behavior is essential for the gopher’s winter survival. During the fall, gophers collect and store significant amounts of food in specialized, deep chambers within their burrows. Caches contain cuttings of hay, grasses, roots, and tubers gathered during the growing season. They rely on these stored reserves when the ground is frozen solid or when fresh foraging is difficult, conserving energy within the tunnel system.
Identifying Evidence of Winter Feeding
Although gophers are less visible during the winter, their subterranean activity leaves observable signs. One indicator of their winter work is the presence of “soil casts” after the snow melts. These are long, snake-like ridges of excavated soil pushed into snow tunnels as the gopher foraged in the subnivean layer. The soil sinks to the surface, creating a telltale sign of winter tunneling.
Their feeding habits are often identified by the damage inflicted on plants, which becomes apparent in the spring. Gophers may girdle the roots of trees and shrubs by chewing the bark completely around the base, potentially killing the plant. They also pull entire smaller plants or sections of roots from below, leaving a wilted plant with a missing root mass. Soft or spongy areas in the yard, especially near a visible mound, can indicate a collapsed tunnel where the animal was actively foraging.