Pocket gophers are highly specialized burrowing rodents that maintain extensive, self-contained tunnel systems. These animals are largely solitary, with each gopher defending its own complex network of underground runways. This subterranean architecture provides a safe haven for nesting and facilitates continuous foraging on roots and tubers, their main diet. The “gopher hole” is a managed exit point for excavated soil, which is the most visible sign of the animal’s presence.
Identifying the Surface Mound
The most immediate evidence of a gopher’s presence is the distinctive surface mound of pushed-up soil. This mound is created as the gopher excavates new tunnels, pushing the dirt out through a short, lateral tunnel that slopes up to the surface. The resulting pile of soil typically forms a fan, crescent, or horseshoe shape, which is a hallmark of gopher activity.
The fresh mound features a characteristic soil plug, an area of loose dirt where the gopher has sealed the entrance to the lateral tunnel. This plug is usually located off-center at the side of the mound, indicating the end of the lateral runway, not the center of the pile. Mounds typically range from 12 to 18 inches in diameter and 4 to 6 inches in height, with a single gopher capable of creating multiple mounds in a single day.
Structure of the Underground Tunnel System
Beneath the surface, the gopher’s burrow system is a labyrinth of interconnected passageways designed for efficiency and safety. The main runway typically runs parallel to the ground surface at a depth of about 4 to 18 inches, depending on soil conditions. This main tunnel, approximately 2 to 3.5 inches in diameter, serves as the primary thoroughfare for the animal.
Lateral tunnels branch off the main runway, extending toward the surface to allow the gopher to push out excavated soil or forage for roots. Deeper branches descend from the main tunnel to specialized chambers a few feet below the surface. These deeper areas, often found at depths of three to six feet, are reserved for nesting, resting, and caching food stores, protecting the gopher from predators and temperature extremes.
Differentiating Gopher Holes from Other Burrows
Distinguishing a gopher’s burrow from those of other subterranean animals, like moles and voles, relies primarily on the appearance of the surface disturbances. The gopher mound is asymmetrical, characterized by its fan-like or crescent shape with the off-center, plugged entrance. This shape results from the gopher pushing soil out laterally from a side tunnel, then sealing it.
In contrast, a mole creates a volcano-shaped or conical mound from soil pushed up vertically from a deep, central tunnel, meaning the entrance is usually sealed and located directly in the center. Moles also create surface runways, which appear as raised ridges in the soil as they search for insects, a sign absent from gopher activity. Voles, which are smaller herbivores, do not create large soil mounds at all; they leave only small, open surface holes and narrow, snake-like trails in the grass.