pocket gopher
Subterranean cheek-pouch mammal
A pocket gopher is a burrowing rodent native to North and Central America, named for the fur-lined cheek pouches it uses to carry food.
Pocket gophers spend most of their lives underground, creating extensive tunnel systems that aerate soil but damage lawns and gardens.
Often shortened to gopher.
Enclosed underground route
- burrowAnimal's dug dwelling
- excavateRemove earth systematically
- subterraneanBeneath earth's surface
- chamberEnclosed room or cavity
den · soil · earthmoving · digging · underground · nest · warren · lair
Expandable oral storage compartments
- incisorsFront cutting teeth
- clawsAnimal gripping nails
- furAnimal body hair
- whiskersFacial sensory hairs
tail · forepaws · teeth · gnawer · rodent · mammal · pouch · stocky
Underground nutrient absorbers
- tubersUnderground plant storage organs
- vegetationPlant life collectively
- herbivorePlant-only consumer
- forageSeek food actively
gnaw · cache · food storage · plants · bulbs · rhizomes · alfalfa · clover
Spreading from single point
- dirt pileAccumulated loose earth
- hillocksSmall earthen elevations
- earthworksConstructed soil fortifications
- displacementRemoval from usual location
tunnel
Enclosed underground route
- burrowAnimal's dug dwelling
- excavateRemove earth systematically
- subterraneanBeneath earth's surface
chamber · den · soil · earthmoving · digging · underground · nest · warren · lair · dirt
cheek pouches
Expandable oral storage compartments
whiskers · tail · forepaws · teeth · gnawer · rodent · mammal · pouch · stocky · small eyes
roots
Underground nutrient absorbers
- tubersUnderground plant storage organs
- vegetationPlant life collectively
- herbivorePlant-only consumer
forage · gnaw · cache · food storage · plants · bulbs · rhizomes · alfalfa · clover · crop pest
fan-shaped
Spreading from single point
- dirt pileAccumulated loose earth
- hillocksSmall earthen elevations
- earthworksConstructed soil fortifications
prairie
Open grassy flatland
- grasslandTreeless herb-covered ecosystem
- meadowGrassy field for grazing
- habitatOrganism's natural environment
owl · snake · coyote · badger · soil ecosystem · range · territory · solitary · native species · aeration
- pocket gophers
- Burrowersaardvark, aardvarks, badger, badgers, mole rat
- prairie wildlifeprairie dog, pronghorn, bison, prairie chicken, meadowlark
- small mammalsmouse, mice, rat, rats, hamster
- squirrelssquirrel, gray squirrel, red squirrel, eastern gray squirrel, flying squirrel
- keystone speciessea otter, beaver, elephant, wolf, sea star
pocket gopherbird
Feathered flying vertebrate
flying squirrel · bat · eagle · dolphin · whale
poke, pocket, poker, pockets, gopher, pocketbook, pocketing, pocketed, pickpocket