Botta's Pocket Gopher is the most widespread pocket gopher in the western United States, exhibiting extraordinary geographic variation in coat color, body size, and skull morphology across its range. It is highly solitary and fiercely defends its burrow system against other pocket gophers, meeting only briefly to mate. The fan-shaped mounds of excavated soil it pushes to the surface are a familiar feature of western gardens and meadows.
Habitat
Grasslands, scrublands, farmland, and suburban gardens
Diet
Roots, bulbs, and underground plant matter
How common
Common
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