Ceratogaulus hatcheri
| Horned gopher Temporal range: Late Miocene–Pleistocene |
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| Ceratogaulus hatcheri skeleton, Museum of Natural History, Washington | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Mylagaulidae |
| Subfamily: | Mylagaulinae |
| Genus: |
Ceratogaulus Matthew, 1902 |
| Species | |
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Ceratogaulus anecdotus |
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| Synonyms | |
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Epigaulus |
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Ceratogaulus anecdotus
Ceratogaulus hatcheri
Ceratogaulus minor
Ceratogaulus rhinocerus
Epigaulus
Horned gophers are extinct rodents from the genus Ceratogaulus, a member of the extinct fossorial rodent family Mylagaulidae. Ceratogaulus is the only known rodent genus with horns, and is the smallest known horned mammal. Ceratogaulus lived from the late Miocene to the early epoch.
The horned gopher had two horns; these were large (in comparison to body size), paired, and originated from the nose. Horned gophers are the smallest known mammals to ever have horns, and the only known species of horned rodents, and apart from one fossil species of armadillo, Peltephilus, the only known fossorial horned mammals. They were native to what is now the Great Plains of North America, most concentrated in Nebraska.
The role of the horns of Ceratogaulus is subject to much speculation. Possibilities include digging (although this has largely been ruled out by the horns' position and orientation; see below for a more detailed analysis), mating displays or combat, and defense from predators. Because the horns were not sexually dimorphic, their role in defense seems most likely.
In most other respects, the animals resembled modern marmots. They were approximately 30 centimetres (0.98 ft) long, and had paddle-like forepaws with powerful claws adapted for digging. They also had small eyes, and probably had poor eyesight, similar to that of a mole. These features suggest that they were likely to be burrowing animals.
The nasal horns of Ceratogaulus are inconsistent with use as a digging tool. In recent mammals that use their heads for excavating, the tips of their snouts are used like a spade to scrape at the substrate. Therefore, the only modification of the nasal bones is a slight thickening of the anterior tips. Although it is theoretically possible that some mammal might develop horns as a digging tool, digging horns would differ from the Ceratogaulus horns in position and shape.
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