Origin of the species and description

The origin of gophers remained vague for a very long time. They have long been identified in different families, species and even orders.

On this moment there are about 38 types of them and the most common are the following:

  • European;
  • American;
  • Big;
  • Small;
  • Mountain.

As it turned out, they have a common ancestor who lived quite recently. This was found out thanks to the prisoners of the Gulag, who found several gopher mummies in the pit of Yakutia at a depth of more than 12 meters. After sequencing one of the genes and studying by the molecular genetic method, it was found that this Indigirka species is 30 thousand years old.

During the Oligocene was committed new round evolution, as a result of which new families appeared, in particular squirrel, which includes the oldest species of ground squirrels - Indigirsky. It turns out that gophers are very close relatives of marmots, only smaller and weaker. As well as squirrels, flying squirrels and prairie dogs.

The squirrel family, in turn, belongs to an even more ancient order of rodents. Some scientists believe that they originated 60-70 million years ago, others are sure that they are a logical continuation of evolution. Cretaceous. But, in any case, it can be argued that they are one of the oldest animals that have survived to this day.

Appearance and features

Gophers are small rodents, because the length of the body ranges from 15 to 38 cm, and the tail is from five to twenty-three cm. They have small ears covered with down. The varied coloration of the back ranges from greenish to purple. Dark stripes or ripples on the back. The belly is light or yellowish. By winter, the fur becomes thicker and longer, because the cold is approaching.

European ground squirrels are relatively small according to the standard. The body length is from 16 to 22 centimeters, the tail is short: only 5-7 cm. The back is colored gray-brown with yellow or white ripples. The sides are yellow with a barely translucent orange tint. The eyes are surrounded by light spots, and the tummy with a pale shade of yellow.

The American ground squirrel is larger than its European neighbor. Inhabitants of Chukotka are 25-32 cm long, American ones are from 30 to 40 cm. They weigh 710-790 grams. The size of the males is almost the same as the females, but they weigh more. They have a fluffy and beautiful tail up to 13 cm long. The back is brownish-ocher in color with light spots, and the head is brown. In winter, the fur becomes lighter, and the juveniles stand out in a duller color.

The big gopher is really big and is second in size only to the yellow one. They have a body length of 25-33 cm, and a tail of 7-10 cm. Weight reaches one and a half kilograms. The back is always dark, most often brown, different from the red sides. The back is strewn with white spots, and the belly is gray or yellow. Large ground squirrels have 36 chromosomes in the karyotype, unlike relatives, which may be why they begin to grow winter fur as early as July.

The small gopher is 18-25 cm in size, and the weight does not reach even half a kilo. The tail is less than four cm at all. Northern individuals have a gray-brown color of the back, in the south it turns into gray-yellow. In total, there are up to 9 subspecies, which differ in appearance and mainly become smaller towards the southeast.

The mountain gopher bears a resemblance to a small gopher, before even few people distinguished them. The body size does not reach 25 cm, and the tail is up to 4 cm. The back is gray with a brownish-yellow tint. There are spots on the back dark color. The sides and belly are lighter than the back, with a yellowish coating. Juveniles are darker and more mottled than adults.

The European ground squirrel turned out to be a steppe and forest-steppe inhabitant, as well as, although at the present time it is quite rare. Occupies eastern part center and east of Europe. Most often in Germany, in Poland on the Silesian Upland. Also settles in Austria, the Czech Republic, Moldova. I also like the western part of Turkey and Slovakia. In southwestern Ukraine, it is found only in Transcarpathia, Vinnitsa and Chernivtsi regions.

The American ground squirrel lives not only on the North American continent, but also in the east of Russia. In the north-east of Siberia, it lives in Chukotka, Kamchatka and the Kolyma Highlands. The Yanskaya and Indigirskaya populations exist separately from all the others. On the North American continent, it is abundant in Alaska and Canada. The big ground squirrel occupies foothill steppes and plains of Kazakhstan and Russia. The habitat begins at the Volga River in the west and ends in the interfluve of the Ishim and Tobol in the east. In the south, the border runs between the Bolshoi and Maly Uzen rivers, and in the north along the right basin of the Agidel.

Mountain gophers are most often distributed near the rivers of the Kuban and Terek, as well as the Elbrus region. They climb very high: 1250 - 3250 m above sea level. The settlement area is three hundred thousand hectares, which is quite a lot and indicates a good number. They live as high as possible: where there is vegetation that can be eaten.

Previously, European ground squirrels were considered exceptional vegetarians, because the main diet consisted of plants. Later it turned out that they eat various foods of animal origin. As a result of awakening, they feast on plant bulbs, then they switch to cereal seeds. In summer, they mainly eat fruits of herbs and berries. Able to devastate small fields.

There is little food in the places of residence of the American ground squirrel, so they are ready to eat everything in their path. Before falling into hibernation, they feed on rhizomes and bulbs of plants, adding berries and mushrooms that they can meet. Because of the cold climate, one has to eat caterpillars, ground beetles, filly, and sometimes carrion. Making his way to settlements, he finds food in garbage cans, sometimes there are cases of cannibalism. The life of an American groundhog is dangerous: you can starve to death or be eaten by a relative.

Large ground squirrels live in more favorable conditions and feed on cereals and flower forbs. In spring, they like to find bulbs and roots of plants, moving on to flowers and leaves. Closer to autumn, rye, wheat, millet and oats add a variety of food. They don't stock up on food for the winter. Small ground squirrels eat roots, leaves and flowers of herbs. Sometimes they do not disdain animal food. Nutrition is made very rich by eating plants grown by people. It even digs up acorns and seeds of maple, hazel. From fruit like apricot.

Large ground squirrels have almost the largest food range, Americans literally have to survive, and mountain gophers simply do not think about what awaits them today for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Especially in the mountains you don't go for a walk. They eat almost all above-ground parts of plants, sometimes diluting animal food, but rarely.

Features of character and lifestyle

The European ground squirrel loves the plains in the steppe and forest-steppe, settling on lands where cattle graze, and which are unsuitable for sowing cereals. Dislikes wet areas, trees and shrubs. They live in colonies of 7-10 individuals. Burrows are permanent and temporary, they have several. Includes several nest chambers.

Colonies of American ground squirrels reach 50 individuals! Individual plots reach 6 hectares. On sandy soils, burrows are up to 15 m and 3 m deep. Where permafrost is no deeper than 70 cm. During hibernation, they close their burrows with soil. IN settlements live in the foundation of houses and greenhouses. Active from 5 to 20 hours a day.

The big ground squirrel settles in dense colonies, having 8-10 personal holes, the earth from which is evenly distributed around the nearby territory. Hibernation lasts up to 9 months, males come out first, and then females. Pregnant for about a month, from 3 to 15 cubs are born. A month later, they are ready for independent life, after two years they can bring new offspring.

Small ground squirrels hibernate for up to 9 months and wake up after the snow melts. During the hot summer, as a result of which the plants die, the animals become dehydrated, they are able to fall into summer hibernation, which can develop into winter. They rarely survive beyond 3 years of age.

Mountain gophers spend a hard time hibernating, the length of which depends on the altitude at which they live. The period of activity is six months. It also depends on the degree of nutrition. Therefore, rather old individuals can hibernate earlier, and young animals need to eat to survive the winter.

Social structure and reproduction

European ground squirrel males, after waking up, begin to wait for females, after which the rut begins. Very often males fight for females. Pregnancy lasts less than a month, and newborns appear at the end of April. In total, from 3 to 9 of them can be born. They weigh about 5 g with a length of 4 cm. After a week, the eyes open, and after 2 wool grows. In mid-June, females dig holes that are inhabited by their children.

American ground squirrels also breed once a year. Females wake up in April-May, after which they begin mating games, which most often occur in burrows. Pregnancy is slightly shorter than that of European ground squirrels, and ground squirrels are born later due to cold weather, but in more: from 5 to 10, and sometimes 13-14.

Male gophers are also waiting for females and after waking up they begin to engage in demographic problems populations. The peculiarity is that females do not dig brood holes separately, but rebuild residential ones. Such a hole has several nesting chambers from half a meter to two deep. From 3 to 16 cubs can be born! A pregnancy can last as long as 20 days or a month.

The female gopher gives birth after 20-25 days from 5 to 10 cubs, while having up to 15 embryos. IN adverse conditions some of the embryos stop developing and are resorbed. For 3 weeks they can weigh up to 25 g, be covered with dark fur and come out of the hole. While the cubs get used to the environment, the mother digs holes, and then leaves the brood.

Mountain gophers have different cycles of rearing offspring, because it depends on the height of their residence and the timing of awakening. Pregnancy lasts for 20-22 days, with a small number of ground squirrels born: from two to four. They are born blind, deaf and without fur. Within a month, the female looks after them, and after that they go out into the world and live in other holes in a known territory.

Natural enemies of gophers

European ground squirrel Lately has undergone a severe reduction in its population due to the enemies that surround it and has almost no effect on the local ecosystem. Basically, he was attacked predatory mammals. These were birds: steppe eagles and harriers, among ground hunters it is worth highlighting the steppe polecat.

American ground squirrels are not in the best situation. To all the troubles and misfortunes, predators are added in the form of skuas, wolves, grizzly bears and polar owls, which do not at all appreciate the introduction of these ground squirrels into the development of the tundra. The big gopher is also exposed to various bad weather. The soil may freeze, the spring may drag on, or a person may be harmed. As for European ground squirrels, steppe ferrets that eat them are of great danger to large ones. all year round even during winter hibernation.

Corsacs and foxes also do not disdain easy prey, and those who are smaller are eaten by weasels and ermines. From the sky I can attack steppe eagles, imperial eagles, buzzards and black kites, and in the north also long-eared owls. Small gophers are hunted by approximately the same predators that live in this region. Burrows can be torn by foxes, corsacs and ferrets. The danger from the sky is steppe and grave eagles. Small or immature individuals are attacked by Saker Falcons, Crows or Magpies.

Population and species status

European ground squirrels inhabit isolated parts of a small area. Included in the Red Book of countries of Eastern Europe, and in the neighboring is under careful protection. In the last century, there was a real struggle, hunting and destruction with them. They obliged the peasants to kill gophers, used poisoned wheat, forced schoolchildren to fight "pests".

Despite difficult living conditions, lack of food and annoying predators, American ground squirrels feel good and thrive. At the same time, they have a beneficial effect on the environment. Many animals live in their burrows, and when they dig, they bring seeds to the surface. Due to the good reproductive properties of the big ground squirrel, it does not belong to endangered species. But in some places it is greatly reduced due to the plowing of virgin lands and direct destruction. For example, in Kazakhstan it is considered a pest. Moreover, it is the causative agent of plague and other unpleasant diseases.

The small ground squirrel is indeed a pest, eating plants planted by people growing in gardens and fields, as well as destroying the most favorable plants on the pastures. At the same time, it carries plague and several other diseases. But due to the high reproduction and diversity of food, it does not belong to the species that are protected. The mountain gopher in mankind causes the least concern about survival. And no wonder, because he lives where others do not settle, eats what the neighbors have no interest in, while not disturbing anyone, unlike small gophers.

All types of gophers are very similar, because they:

  • They eat similar food;
  • They lead a slightly different lifestyle;
  • They have the same predators;
  • They look almost identical.

Some of them harm people, some only benefit the environment. Someone is almost on the verge of extinction, living in wonderful conditions, while someone is healthy and prosperous, being in difficult situation. At gophers many different things, but more in common.


>Gopher is a representative of the squirrel family, a medium-sized rodent and a pest of farmland, which is why it sometimes becomes an object of sport hunting, in particular varminting. Targeted shooting is due to the fact that the gopher endures dangerous diseases grain plants and is the causative agent of severe infections - brucellosis, tularemia, plague.

Description of the gopher

Gopher, depending on the species, can have different sizes - from medium to very small.. The body length of the ground squirrel ranges from 14 to 40 centimeters. The length of the tail is from 4 to 25 centimeters. The forelimbs of the ground squirrel are usually shorter than the hind limbs. On both of them, the 4th toe is longer than the 3rd. Ears - small, short, slightly protruding from the fur, slightly pubescent.

The body of the gopher is covered with a dense hairline. In summer, it is somewhat shorter, coarser and less frequent than in winter - in the cold season, the fur acquires greater density and length. The color of the gopher is not uniform and is prone to some diversity: the fur is dark on top, grayish-yellow below. On the back there may be spots of a light tone - whitish, light yellow or dirty yellow. Sometimes the color of the gopher in the back can be black. Often there are gray-brown and reddish shades. White lines run along the sides of the body, limited at the ends by a dark color.

hibernation gophers

The greatest activity among ground squirrels falls on warm and daytime, but they spend most of their lives in burrows. In the same place, gophers hibernate, however, unlike other representatives of the animal world, they can fall asleep not only for the period of cold weather, turning into hibernation, but also during the summer drought - in the absence of the necessary amount of feed for food. The duration of hibernation in gophers always varies and depends on the geographic and weather-climatic zone. in which gophers live. IN southern regions hibernation of gophers is short-term or may be completely absent, in the more northern ones it is full and long-term. Exit from hibernation in ground squirrels depends only on the onset of heat.

Types of gophers

There is a very a large number of ground squirrel species - a total of 38. Only 9 of them live on the territory of the Russian Federation. The most common for Russian latitudes are long-tailed ground squirrel, yellow ground squirrel, small ground squirrel, speckled ground squirrel and some others.

Types of gophers:
big gopher;
Sierramadres ground squirrel;
golden gopher;
yellow ground squirrel;
red-cheeked ground squirrel;
Dahurian ground squirrel;
Colombian ground squirrel;
European ground squirrel;
Mexican ground squirrel;
mountain and so on.

Ground squirrel habitat

The main habitats of gophers - temperate latitudes northern hemisphere. It is distributed in the forest-tundra, meadow-steppe, forest-steppe and steppe zones. Typical for open landscape areas. In the meadow areas of the riverine valleys, the ground squirrel often enters even the Arctic, in the steppe - in deserts and semi-deserts, and in the mountainous steppes even goes to the mountains, rising 3.5 kilometers above sea level. Gopher lives in North America and throughout Eurasia. Leads an exclusively ground-underground way of life.

Where does the gopher live

The ground squirrel lives mainly in burrows that he digs himself. The duration, branching and arrangement of such dwellings may differ depending on the species of ground squirrels, geographical features territories in which they are located. For example, long-tailed ground squirrels equip holes up to 3 meters deep and up to 15 meters long. They dig on sandy soils. On clay soils (heavier), burrows go no more than 2 meters deep with a 5-, 7-meter length. Gophers live in them in colonies, equipping pantries and nesting chambers (the latter are covered with dry vegetation). At the moment of danger, the ground squirrels standing on guard immediately hide in holes, warning relatives by whistling about the threat.

What does gopher eat

The ground squirrel's diet includes underground and aboveground parts of grasses. that grow in close proximity to their homes. However, not all types of ground squirrels are exclusively prone to vegetable feed Some of them also eat animal food. As a rule, these are various types of insects. Gophers are also characterized by the accumulation of food reserves, with which they fill the pantry chambers of their holes. Usually for these purposes ground squirrels use seeds of grasses and grains of cereal crops (cereals).

gopher hunting

Varminting is often practiced on gophers - a special sport hunting, the purpose of which is to shoot to "keep the species within the natural framework." That is, ground squirrels cause very strong harm to agriculture, causing losses in the steppe zones with intensive farming (especially in the Volga region, Ciscaucasia and Ukraine). The greatest harm cause speckled and small gophers. However, this is not the only reason sport hunting: ground squirrels pose a threat to the spread of various dangerous infectious diseases- for example, they are carriers of the plague.

Basically gopher hunting is popular because of their delicacy and tasty meat , as well as valuable skins. But its prey is complicated by the fact that this gopher rarely appears on the surface, spending most of its time underground. In addition, the gopher is incredibly brisk and evasive. His behavior dictated three main methods of hunting:

  1. gopher hunting for bait;
  2. gopher hunting with traps;
  3. gopher hunting with a rifle.

The first two methods of hunting gophers are often combined, just like the first and third. That is, bait is an ideal tool for luring a gopher out of its hole to the surface of the earth, where it falls either into a trap or under rifle shots.

The principle of such hunting methods for gophers is quite simple. Bait is set in front of the hole, and the shooter himself moves 350 meters away from the gopher's dwelling and prepares for an aimed shot. With a good scenario and luck, one hunter is able to get more than 10 gophers in this way in a day. At the same time, the shooters must have an excellent reaction, since one wrong shot - and the animals can no longer be expected, as they go deep underground. But it is worth noting that Recently, the number of ground squirrels has decreased, so hunting for them is not allowed..

Relationship

I don't know how to get along with my mom. She is not satisfied with everything that I do .. Constant criticism and abuse from her side. I am a non-conflict person in life, but she can bring me to an inadequate level with ...

Gophers are very funny and cute rodents. We very often hear funny and affectionate nicknames that are somehow associated with this animal. But what is known about these animals? How and what do they eat? How do they protect their offspring? What are the adaptations to the conditions environment? These are the questions that will be answered in the article.

Morphological features of gophers

  1. The mass of gophers does not exceed two kilograms.
  2. The body length of mammals does not exceed twenty centimeters.
  3. Males are twice as large as females (thus, these mammals have very pronounced sexual dimorphism).
  4. Gophers have a gray-brown color. This coat color is an excellent camouflage.
  5. Gophers, like many animals that spend a lot of time underground, have poor eyesight. (Therefore, very often they can be seen on various elevations in the immediate vicinity of their holes.)
  6. The jaw of gophers has protruding incisors (fangs, like all rodents, they do not have). Such modifications of teeth allow them to create underground passages without swallowing the earth.
  7. Gophers, like humans, have lacrimal glands (only they are slightly enlarged) that allow mammals to get rid of dust and dirt that gets into their eyes. For the same reasons, gophers have a barely noticeable auricle.
  8. The tail of gophers has special sensitive endings that allow rodents to navigate very quickly and accurately in numerous underground passages.

Behavioral features of gophers

  • Gophers have a very well developed care for offspring. This is due to the fact that newborn animals are deaf, blind and have no hair (it appears on them only one week after birth, and after two weeks they gain sight).
  • Young cubs live in a separate hole dug out by their mother (since they are completely unarmed in the fight against natural enemies - in the first weeks of life they do not have an antidote to the poisons of various snakes).
  • Sometimes snakes penetrate holes with cubs of rodents, then their mother shows unprecedented courage in the fight against such a dangerous enemy: she stands on her lower paws and starts waving her fluffy tail, visually increasing in size. The mother does not retreat from protection up to the bites of poisonous snakes.
  • A surprising fact is the ability of gophers to sound notification of their relatives. Moreover, mammals make various sounds (most often it is a shrill squeak or a deafening whistle), it all depends on who is theirs at the moment. natural enemy: Human, predatory bird, a snake or other equally dangerous animals.
  • Gophers, like many mammals, hibernate. They store the amount of fat necessary to maintain life processes and go into their holes. Males can begin their long sleep even at the height of hot summer - in mid-July. Waking up in early March, the animals begin to look for sexual partners for procreation. Thus, hibernation can reach 7.5 months, and this is a large half of the year. What is it like to sleep through most of your life?

Physiological features of gophers

The female brings one brood per year, in which there are from two to twelve cubs. Pregnancy is short (23-28 days). Puberty come closer to six months.

Gophers live from one year to three years. If they are in favorable environmental conditions, then most of them live up to five years.

There are real centenarians among these small rodents: there are times when individual representatives of the species live up to seven or eight years.

Gophers great amount Enemies: Antelopes, coyotes, foxes, wolves, badgers, hawks, eagles and snakes. It is noteworthy that in adult mammals, the body produces an antidote to snake venom to avoid death.

But one of the most dangerous enemies for them continues to be a man. (Large representatives certain types are of great interest in the fur trade for the production various kinds fur products: vests, fur coats, hats and shoes.) Gophers often serve as an object of sport hunting, which is called warming.

Gophers can rightly be called true vegetarians, since the basis of their diet is various modifications of shoots (such as flowers, leaves and bulbs), seeds (maple, hazel, apricots and other angiosperms), berries, acorns, fruits and modifications of the main roots of plants (carrots, radishes and other no less juicy vegetables).

But they are not averse to feasting on delicacies in the form of grasshoppers, worms, beetles, caterpillars, and locusts. Such nutrition significantly enriches the body with such an important building material as protein.

Gophers have two meals a day (the first meal occurs early in the morning, the second - late at night). They eat quickly enough, stuffing their cheeks to the bone (and this expression in this case is not just a saying, because before chewing thoroughly, rodents place their food in the recesses near the mouth, which serve as a kind of bags).

The influence of rodents on human life

  • The fact is that gophers are carriers of very dangerous, and often fatal diseases for humans. For example, brucellosis, plague, and tularemia.
  • Since the main food is the seeds and fruits of plants, often agricultural land becomes a constant source of delicacy for rodents, which is very detrimental to the crop.
  • Gophers are one of the decorative types of domestic animals. With talented training and incredible intelligence of animals, small mammals can even learn to carry out individual commands.

Hopefully in the future people will find more safe means combating the negative influence of gophers on agriculture and they, in turn, will continue to delight us and our loved ones.

small gopher- a small, but very significant representative of his kind. This is one of the most prominent inhabitants of dry steppes and semi-deserts. It is curious that, despite the colonial way of life, the ground squirrel is a staunch individualist. Each adult lives in a separate burrow, except for females with young in spring and summer.

The feeding ground squirrel raises its head from time to time and carefully looks around.

small gophers prefer areas with sparse vegetation. The animals lead daytime lifestyle. In the thick grass that obscures the view, they feel uncomfortable, but they willingly settle along roadsides and on pastures knocked out by cattle.

The eyesight of the animals is excellent, their large, slightly slanting eyes are raised at the level of the muzzle, providing an almost circular view, which increases even more when the gopher stands up in a column.

By autumn, all young gophers have time to acquire their own housing, in which they hibernate. Small ground squirrels do not make any stocks of provisions for the winter.

ENEMIES OF THE LITTLE GOpher

These mobile and energetic rodents, leading a daily lifestyle, many enemies. The very life of many steppe predators depends on ground squirrels. Eagles and Long-legged Buzzards feed their chicks.

Korsak and the fox will never miss the opportunity to get a young inexperienced animal. No wonder the gophers excellent vision and effective alarm - loud whistle, notifying relatives hundreds of meters about the appearance of an eagle or corsac.

The most dangerous enemies of the small ground squirrel are the steppe polecat and bandaging, because the long and narrow body of these predators allows you to get right into the holes.

Fox caught a small gopher

NORA - THE FORTRESS OF THE SMALL GOOPER.

It is almost impossible to find natural shelters in the open spaces of the steppes and semi-deserts, therefore, ground squirrels, like all rodents living here, - born diggers.

In their underground shelters, they escape from enemies, wait out the midday heat and hibernate. A burrow in the simplest case is an inclined passage, ending at a depth of 1.5–2 meters with a living chamber.

Females waiting for offspring improve the dwelling additional cameras and otnorkami - toilets. Preparing for hibernation, the ground squirrel plugs the main passage with an earth plug, but breaks through a vertical shaft from the chamber, which is a little not brought to the surface. Through it, having made only a narrow hole, the sleepy animal gets out of the hole in the spring, and then restores the old inclined course or digs a new one.

As a result of the tireless digging activity of many generations of ground squirrels, throwing tons of lower, often saline, soil horizons to the surface, a characteristic microrelief of low hillocks is formed on their settlements - gopher- with a peculiar vegetation, sharply different from the surrounding steppe.

Gophers live in large colonies.

Despite the fact that each adult ground squirrel solely owns the habitat area on which he builds the main or several spare holes, these animals live large colonies. Neighbors are constantly in contact with each other through characteristic sounds and poses.

Standing in the distance, a feathered or four-legged predator will appear, as an animal that has noticed it, before diving into a hole, publishes ringing whistle- an alarm signal, which, as if on a relay race, is transmitted from hole to hole.

FOOD

Small ground squirrels leave their wintering holes in March-April, as soon as the snow melts, and are immediately accepted for feeding. They feed on the green parts of cereals, wormwood, saltwort, dig up tulip bulbs, are very fond of viviparous bluegrass seeds and nodules, visit neighboring fields of cereals and melons, and catch insects.

Photo of a small gopher.

THE OFFERING OF THE SMALL GOOPER

The main task of small ground squirrels in the spring is leave offspring. After 25 days, after a short turbulent period, 3 to 8 cubs are born in females. For about three weeks, the mother feeds them with milk, and then goes to another site.

Young growth near the brood hole does not linger for a long time, spreading widely around. This is the most dangerous period of their life. Up to 85% of unthinking and not yet settled in permanent places animals fall prey to steppe eagles, buzzards, harriers, kites, steppe polecats and corsacs.

Hibernation

The middle of summer comes, and the steppe vegetation dries up under the scorching rays of the sun. Adult males, who managed to accumulate a sufficient supply of fat, appear on the surface only in the morning, and then completely hibernate.

After them, the females go to rest, and the last are the young animals. Small gophers can be found in the steppe until August - September, and in the hottest areas they hibernate up to 8 months a year, that is, three quarters of his life! The total lifespan of a small gopher is 34 years.

Hibernation is a state of reduced activity in warm-blooded animals, allowing them to save energy and survive the unfavorable season. However, their body temperature drops to 5 - 10 degrees, heartbeat, breathing and all other vital processes slow down.

THE ROLE OF THE LITTLE SQUIRREL IN NATURE

Small gopher plays very important role in the life of arid steppes and semi-deserts. This is the main food item for most of the feathered and quadrupedal predators living there.

However, he was unconditionally ranked among the "most harmful rodents of the fauna." This animal was guilty before people in that it harms grain crops and eats pasture cereals.

Amateur video about a small gopher

Gopher is very cute, cute, funny animal. They have an elongated head with very small ears. These animals have a habit of standing on their hind legs and standing like columns. These animals got their name from the word "susati" (hiss), because in case of danger they make sounds resembling a hiss or whistle. Gophers are often referred to as prairie dogs.

Peculiarities

The average body length of a ground squirrel is 18 - 25 cm, but sometimes you can meet large rodent up to 35 - 40 cm. The body weight of these animals ranges from 200 gr. up to 1.8 kg. Female gophers are almost two times smaller than the mass of males. Thus, in these mammals, anatomical differences are expressed between individuals of different sexes.

Gophers, like many animals that spend a lot of time underground, have poor eyesight. Prairie dogs, just like humans, have lacrimal glands (only slightly enlarged), it is with their help that dirt and dust come out of the eyes. It is because of the underground way of life in gophers that the auricles are so small that they are barely noticeable.

Unlike other rodents, gophers do not have fangs, but they do have protruding incisors. Thanks to this transformation, they are able to dig their underground labyrinths without swallowing the earth. Gophers have cheek pouches that hold a decent supply of food.

The forelegs of these rodents are slightly smaller than the hind feet and have well-shaped, pointed claws that can also help them burrow.

The coat of these animals has a brownish-gray color, which helps them perfectly camouflage. In summer, the fur is very coarse, short and sparse, and by the onset of winter it becomes unusually soft and thick.

In the tail of the gopher there are sensitive endings, thanks to which the animal is able to navigate with lightning speed and very accurately in numerous labyrinths. In the steppes, these rodents cover themselves with their tails to avoid overheating. The length of the tail is often slightly less than the length of the body.

On average, these animals live 3 years, but there are cases when the age reached 8 years.

Habitat

Interesting facts about gophers - habitat. You can meet these animals throughout Eurasia and North America. Most often they choose for life the forest-steppe forest-tundra desert steppes, and sometimes high mountains.

Gophers build burrows in open spaces:

  • meadows;
  • pastures;
  • field boundaries;
  • steppe;
  • desert.

They are of several types:

  • winter burrows for hibernation;
  • summer holes for the birth of offspring;
  • security holes (in which you can hide in case of danger).

Each individual builds a hole for itself. The length of the tunnel reaches 20 m and runs at a depth of 1.5 to 9 meters. Sometimes the tunnels pass under water bodies. In front of the entrances to the dwelling, the animals necessarily arrange a mound of earth, sand and rubble.

On the surface, animals form colonies, in which there are 20-30 individuals. Each animal goes about its business, but at the slightest hint of danger, a general commotion rises and everyone hides in their holes. When the danger disappears, the animals again go about their business.

These animals eat twice a day - early in the morning and very late in the evening. They eat very quickly, stuffing their cheek pouches with food.

The basis of the diet of ground squirrels is plant foods. As a rule, these are clover, wormwood, wheatgrass, oats, rye, millet, wheat and much more. Gophers also love young seedlings fruit trees, acorns.

Some species of these rodents like to treat themselves to delicacies in the form of locusts, caterpillars, worms, beetles, grasshoppers. Sometimes included in the diet bird eggs, mice, newborn chicks. Thanks to this, proteins enter the body of the animal.

Sleep like gophers!

With the onset of autumn, gophers begin to prepare for hibernation. They begin to eat heavily in order to stock up required amount fat, which will nourish their body during a long sleep, and then descend into their winter burrows. To protect themselves from unwanted intrusion, rodents close the entrance to the hole with stones and grass.

The duration of hibernation depends on climatic conditions- in the south, these rodents do not sleep for long, and in the north, hibernation takes up most of the year. Winter dream lasts 5 to 9 months and is the strongest. A sleeping gopher can even be taken out of the hole, shaken, but he will not wake up.

These animals can fall not only into seasonal (winter) hibernation, but can also fall asleep from a lack of food. For some animals, this helps to survive the dry summer. After hibernation, animals wake up hungry, exhausted and immediately go in search of food. When the strength is restored, the groundhog is looking for a mate for procreation.

cubs

These animals, most often choose a mate for life. The bearing of offspring lasts about a month from the moment of mating. At one time, from 2 to 12 cubs can be born.

Cubs are born completely without hair and do not see or hear anything. After a few days (usually a week), the babies begin to grow fur, and after 2 they begin to see. For the first months of life, gopher cubs feed only on mother's milk.

The females of these "prairie dogs" are extremely caring mothers. While their cubs gain strength, grow up, the mother prepares separate houses for them. Having reached the age of 4-5 months, ground squirrels begin an adult, independent life.

Despite the fact that ground squirrels can cause considerable harm to the crop of agricultural plants, one should not forget that soil formation of our planet occurs due to these animals. Do not exterminate these cute rodents!