Thomomys mazama
| Mazama pocket gopher | |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Geomyidae |
| Genus: | Thomomys |
| Species: | T. mazama |
| Binomial name | |
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Thomomys mazama Merriam, 1897 |
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| Distribution of the Mazam pocket gopher | |
The Mazama pocket gopher (Thomomys mazama) is a smooth-toothed pocket gopher restricted to the Pacific Northwest. The species ranges from coastal Washington, through Oregon, and into north-central California.
Mazama pocket gophers are light brown to black in color, with adults ranging in size from 5 to 6 inches in length. The species has poor vision, but excels as digging burrows with their long claws and strong limbs. The gophers transport food and nesting material by fur pouches on their bodies. The gopher's diet consists of plant material, mostly vegetation, roots and tubers. The gophers exhibit asocial behaviors except during the mating season. Mating is believed to be polygamous. Gestation lasts around 18 days, with each litter averaging 3 or 4 young. Females will usually have one litter per year between March and June.
The Mazama pocket gopher is important to the prairie ecosystem in which it inhabits. Each gopher is capable of turning over 3-7 tons of soil per acre per year. Their presence is beneficial for plant diversity, with one study showing 5-48% higher as a result. The gopher burrows are utilized by many frogs, toads, small mammals and lizards.
The total population is unknown, but believed to exceed 100,000, a majority of population resides in the state of Oregon. There are 27 known populations in the state of Washington, with an estimated 2000-5000 individuals total. The state of Washington has listed the Mazama pocket gopher and its subspecies found in the Puget Sound area as threatened.
The Mazama pocket gopher in Washington has suffered habitat loss, with the remaining habitats being located in unexpected places. The largest populations have been found to reside around Fort Lewis and several regional airports. The Olympic National Park cited as another possible location for a sizable population.
A 2005 study reported 6000 gophers living around Olympia airport, but this study has been criticized for its conclusions. The study made count of burrows and did not engage in trapping and marking to estimate the actual number of gophers present. The population is also known to vary erratically, increasing dramatically after the mating season and declining as the year progresses due to predation. This contradicts the estimated population listed on the IUCN database which lists between 2000-5000 gophers in the state of Washington with the isolated populations being representative of all 27 populations. The population of the subspecies indigenous to the area is unknown, with two of the sub-species presumed extinct and Thomomys mazama douglasii's status being uncertain and possibly extinct.
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Wikipedia