Meet the Mazama pocket gopher

THE OLYMPIAN • Published December 04, 2011 Modified December 04, 2011

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The Mazama pocket gopher, which has been listed as a threatened species by the state and is under assessment for federal listing, has become the poster child in the battle of property owners and county regulations. Here’s more information about the gopher:

Length: 8 inches

Diet: Vegetation (roots, bulbs, leaves)

Breeding: Early spring through early summer; one litter of three to seven per year

Lifespan: 1-2 years, most of population is young adult

Tunnels: 1¾-3½ inches in diameter, 4 to 12 inches below ground; nest and food-storage chambers as deep as 6 feet.

Status: Population decline in part because of small, local breeding populations; loss of habitat to development, trapping and attacks from domestic animals has stopped recolonization of areas after local extinctions occur.

Legal status: In Thurston, Pierce, Clark, and Mason counties, the gopher is a state-threatened and federal-listing candidate species. It’s illegal to kill Mazama pocket gophers in these areas.

Source: State Department of Fish and Wildlife

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