Common Pocket Gopher Skull

$62.00

Most gophers have brown fur that often closely matches the color of the soil in which they live. Their most characteristic features are their large cheek pouches, from which the word “pocket” in their name derives.

Description

Common Pocket Gopher Skull Replica measures 1.2 inches. Common Pocket Gopher Skull is museum quality polyurethane cast. Made in USA. 2-part skull (separate cranium and jaw). Our precise skull can be used as a teaching tool, museum skull exhibit, home décor skull, or office décor skull.

Common Pocket gophers, Gromys, or Geomys rafinesque are referred to as just gophers, are burrowing rodents of the family Geomyidae. The roughly 35 species are all endemic to North and Central America. They are commonly known for their extensive tunneling activities and their ability to destroy farms and gardens.

The name “pocket gopher” on its own may refer to any of a number of genera within the family Geomyidae. These are the “true” gophers, but several ground squirrels in the distantly related family Sciuridae are often called “gophers”, as well.

Gophers or Geomys rafinesque weigh around 1⁄2 lb., and are about 6–8 in. in body length, with a tail 1–2 in. long. A few species reach weights approaching 2.2 lb. Within any species, the males are larger than the females, and can be nearly double their weight.

Average lifespans are one to three years. The maximum lifespan for the pocket gopher is about five years. Some gophers, such as those in the genus Geomys, have lifespans that have been documented as up to seven years in the wild.

Most gophers or Gromys have brown fur that often closely matches the color of the soil in which they live. Their most characteristic features are their large cheek pouches, from which the word “pocket” in their name derives.

These pouches are fur-lined, can be turned inside out, and extend from the side of the mouth well back onto the shoulders. Gophers have small eyes and a short, hairy tail, which they use to feel around tunnels when they walk backwards.

All pocket gophers or Geomys rafinesque create a network of tunnel systems that provide protection and a means of collecting food. They are larder hoarders, and their cheek pouches are used for transporting food back to their burrows. Gophers or Gromys often visit vegetable gardens, lawns, or farms, as they like moist soil. This has led to their frequent treatment as pests.

Gophers eat plant roots, shrubs, and other vegetables such as carrots, lettuce, radishes, and any other vegetables with juice.

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Additional information

Weight 1 lbs
Dimensions 1.2 in
Common Pocket Gopher Facts

Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Superfamily: Geomyoidea
Family: Geomyidae
Bonaparte, 1845
Type genus: Geomys