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Wildlife Botta's Pocket Gopher Page
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 Photo by: R. H. Barrett |
Botta's Pocket Gopher
Thomomys bottae
Habitat: They can be found in a variety of vegetation types, including agricultural land, grasslands, roadsides, open parklands, piņon-juniper woodlands, open montane forest, montane shrublands, and semidesert shrublands (Youngman 1958; C. L. Douglas 1969a, Moulton et al. 1979, 1983).
Diet: Seeds, tubers, roots, and green vegetation of a variety of forbs and grasses are eaten. Most food consists of above-ground plant parts. Succulent grasses, especially bromes, may constitute 40 to more than 80 percent of the diet. Forbs such as thistle, fleabane, and common sunflower generally make up the remainder while insects make up less than 20 percent of stomach contents (Gottfried and Patton 1984).
Description: Botta's pocket gophers are small and vary widely in color and size. They vary from yellowish to reddish brown and the venter is slightly paler than the dorsum. Measurements are: total length 200-260 mm; length of tail 60-85 mm, length of hindfoot 28-33 mm; length of ear 5-7 mm; weight 110-215 g.
Range in Colorado: Botta's pocket gophers occur in southern Colorado, where several local races have evolved.
Status: State Special Concern
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Species Occurrence Tool
(*) NDIS has no county occurrence data for fish at this time.
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