English

Geomys bursarius (plains pocket gopher)

Noun

pocket gopher ‎(plural pocket gophers)

1. Any of the burrowing rodents of the family Geomyidae, regarded as the "true" gophers.
   • 1998, B. J. Verts, Leslie N. Carraway, Land Mammals of Oregon, page 223,

     The pocket gophers are New World endemics for which the fossil history commences in the late Miocene (Kurtén and Anderson, 1980).

   • 2005, Ernest H. Williams Jr., The Nature Handbook : A Guide to Observing the Great Outdoors, page 158,

     Produced by pocket gophers, which push soil upward as they burrow along under the surface, soil tubes are most apparent where the soil is rocky.

   • 2011, Donald K. Grayson, The Great Basin: A Natural Prehistory, page 196,

     Four species of pocket gophers are currently found within the Great Basin, all of which belong to the genus Thomomys.

Usage notes

Particular genera are sometimes referred to as "the" pocket gophers.

Synonyms

• (any species of Geomyidae): geomyid

Derived terms

• eastern pocket gopher (genus Geomys)
• giant pocket gopher (genus Orthogeomys)
• smooth-toothed pocket gopher (genus Thomomys)
• western pocket gopher (= smooth-toothed pocket gopher)

Translations