Gophers Since gophers spend most of their time underground, they are hardly ever seen so the best identification method is to examine the dirt
mounds that almost always accompany their activity. As they dig their tunnels, pocket gophers periodically shove dirt out to the surface
forming mounds. The dirt is pushed to the surface from tunnels that are at an angle to the surface, so the mounds form in a crescent or
horseshoe shape. This helps distinguish them from mounds made by moles which are volcano shaped. Pocket gopher burrows are
almost always plugged. This helps to distinguish them from other burrowing rodents like ground squirrels or meadow mice. On average,
a gopher makes about 1 to 3 mounds per day. Although gophers can be serious agricultural pests, most of the damage they cause is to
landscaping and turf. They feed on many varieties of ornamental plants, and the mounds they make can be unsightly, damaging to turf,
and even pose a quite real trip hazard on athletic fields.
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