Chipmunk vs. Gopher: How are They Different?

Chipmunks and gophers are rodents contained in the class Rodentia, which accounts for approximately 40% of all mammal species. Rodentia is a very diverse order. While the capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) is the largest living rodent, many other species are medium-sized or larger, such as beavers (Castor), porcupines (Hystricognathi), and nutria (Myocastor coypus). However, the vast majority of the approximately 2,000 rodent species are mouse- or rat-sized, including chipmunks and gophers. The main differences between a chipmunk and a gopher include their appearance, burrowing, diet, diel cycles, and behavior. Continue reading to learn more about the differences between these two garden pests.

Appearance

Chipmunks are 5 to 7 inches long, with the tail adding another 3 to 5 inches to their overall length, and they weigh between 1 and 5 ounces. They are almost always brown with black stripes on their heads, necks, backs, and tails. In addition to stripes, stubby legs and bushy tails are their characteristic features.

Gophers are larger and stockier than chipmunks. Gophers range from 5 to 14 inches long and weigh around 0.5 pounds, but size varies significantly among species.
They have small eyes and ears and no distinct neck. Gophers have brown, gray, or black fur.

Burrowing

Chipmunks and gophers are rodents that burrow into the ground. Chipmunks carry the excavated dirt from their burrows in their cheek pouches and scatter it away from the burrow entrance to camouflage their home and avoid attracting predators. This method helps keep their burrow entrances inconspicuous, often hidden near rocks, roots, or vegetation.

Chipmunk burrows can uproot plants and kill grass, though they are more likely to cause issues in gardens and landscaped areas than in open lawns. 

Gophers have bodies built for digging. They construct intricate tunnel systems with specialized chambers for nesting, food storage, and waste disposal. These burrows can extend over hundreds of square feet. They use their powerful claws and large incisors to dig through soil, pushing excavated dirt to the surface, creating the telltale mounds. 

Gophers are destructive to lawns, causing widespread damage by eating plant roots, chewing on irrigation systems, and creating extensive tunnel networks and dirt mounds. Their burrowing activity not only damages plants but also weakens the ground, leading to soil erosion.

Diet

Chipmunks are omnivores that feed on seeds, grains, nuts, berries, and mushrooms. They also eat baby birds, frogs, insects, and bird eggs. They store extra food in their cheek pouches and burrows. Garlic, peppermint, lemon, cinnamon, and eucalyptus are all scents that chipmunks tend to avoid, and using these as repellents may help deter them, though results can vary, and other control methods may also be necessary.
Gophers are herbivores that feed on roots and tubers, and they also occasionally eat the tops of small plants. Gophers transport their food from the source to their tunnels using their furry cheek pouches. They also create six-foot-deep storage chambers for food storage. Peppermint oil is often used as a natural repellent to help deter gophers, but its effectiveness can vary, and it may not provide complete control.

Diel Cycle

The diel cycle refers to an animal’s 24-hour pattern of activity and behavior. It is a daily cycle that is influenced by external cues like the light-dark cycle, temperature, food availability, and the presence of predators. 

Chipmunks are primarily diurnal (active during the day) but can exhibit crepuscular (active at dawn and dusk) or even nocturnal behavior, especially during hot weather or when avoiding predators. Their specific activity patterns can also be influenced by seasons, with cooler times of day being preferred for foraging.

Gophers’ activity patterns can vary by species, time of year, and environmental conditions. While many are most active during the day, others are more active at dawn and dusk (crepuscular), or even at night. They rarely emerge from their tunnels, but they may do so at night or on cloudy days.

Behavior

Chipmunks use elaborate burrows for nesting and food storage. They are active foragers, utilizing their cheek pouches to gather and hoard food for the winter, during which they undergo a state of torpor rather than true hibernation. Communication is a mix of vocalizations and visual cues to signal territory, aggression, or danger.

Pocket gophers are solitary, burrowing rodents that spend most of their lives underground in extensive tunnel systems, only emerging to the surface briefly to find food, deposit soil, or mate. They are territorial, highly adapted for digging with specialized teeth and claws, and use their fur-lined cheek pouches to carry vegetation back to their burrows for food storage.