Where Do Gophers Live? 8 States with the Most Gophers

Gophers are adorable creatures when they’re not causing damage to people’s yards. The most common type of gopher is the Pocket Gopher. They get their name from their fur-lined cheek pouches. Pocket Gophers’ bodies are well suited for their underground nature. Some of their features include clawed front paws accustomed to digging, sensitive whiskers, and very small eyes and ears. A unique feature they have is that they can use their teeth to loosen soil without getting any dirt in their mouth. How? They can push their lips behind their long incisors to do so. Now, where do gophers live? They certainly don’t live in the same locations as their other rodent counterpart, the groundhogs.

Where Do Gophers Live?

Gophers live underground. They actually spend most of their lives living underground as they burrow narrow tunnels as their habits. Gophers burrow under porches and sheds as they prefer to live close to humans. How they build their tunnels is also how they get captured by predators. Snakes and weasels are able to go into the tunnels to eat them. Canines and badgers can dig through the tunnels to consume them. Also, gophers can get scooped up by owls and other larger birds for food.

Unfortunately, many states don’t report on how many gophers live in their states. But, they do report on what type of gophers are found in their respective states and the areas they can be seen in.

What areas do gophers live in?

There are thirty-four different species of gophers in the world but only thirteen of them live in the United States. Gophers reside in the midwestern and western states but with an exception to three southeastern states: Alabama, Florida, and Georgia.

1. Alabama

In Alabama, gophers have a wide range of colors to match the different soils they dig in. The ones in Alabama have their fur in rich red clay colors to match the ground soil there. These gophers live in sixteen Alabama counties, all within the upper and lower coastal plain east of Mobile Bay. Other areas they’re in include the Black Warrior and Tombigbee River systems. The average gopher size in Alabama is eleven inches for males and ten inches for females.

2. Florida Gophers

These “sandy mounders” or “salamanders” to Florida locals, are pests to many natives due to how they destroy yards. The southeastern gophers can be seen in random pockets in Florida. The University of Florida is conducting new studies about the ecosystem of the gophers. Little is known about the population dynamics. Because of that. the University is looking into how they can preserve and aid the gopher species.

3. Georgia

The Georgia Gophers are located in the southeastern part of the state. Although many Georgia residents see them as pests and a nuisance, they play a part in the Peach State’s ecosystem. They help cycle the nutrients through the soil, kill off pesky roots and plants, and curate a more biodiverse environment. However, the gopher population is declining in Alabama, Florida, and Georgia. Studies were done to monitor several sites in Georgia to get an updated population range. Out of 177 sites, only 41 sites had gophers present. That’s at 23.2% of total sites.

4. California Gophers

There are five gopher species across California. The most widespread is the T. Bottae pocket gopher. The California Wildlife Department of Fish and Wildlife classifies pocket gophers as nongame mammals. They live everywhere in California. They do not live by or in extreme deserts and river barriers. Northern California doesn’t have too many gophers compared to the central and Southern California areas. Their sizes vary from six to twelve inches.

5. Illinois

Although Illinois is one of the more gopher-dense states, only one species lives in Illinois. That species is the Plains Pocket Gopher. The Plains Pocket Gophers are seen in sandy soils throughout Central Illinois. Most of the Plains Pocket Gophers can be seen south and east of the Illinois River and over to the Kankakee River. They dig their burrows as long as five hundred feet and usually three feet deep underground. Their size varies between eight to twelve inches.

6. Minnesota Gophers

Outside of pocket gophers, Minnesota has a Striped Gopher species present. The Striped Gopher is locally called the “thirteen-lined ground squirrel. The Minneapolis-St. Paul areas are home to the “thirteen-lined ground squirrel”. Striped Gophers have similar characteristics as pocket gophers with small eyes and similar claws but with different fur patterns. The “thirteen-lined ground squirrels” are ten to twelve inches in size. Gophers are herbivores, so unlike other rodents, they eat grass, fruits, and vegetables.

7. Michigan

They’re a rare species in Michigan due to the chilly climate. why? Because, Gophers aren’t fans of cold weather as much as their groundhog counterparts. Michgan Gophers claim lawns, gardens, forests, and hilly areas as their ecosystem. They tend to live in the southern part of Michigan but their population count is low.

8. Montana Gophers

The state of Montana plays host to the Northern Pocket Gophers. They thrive in the agricultural state with its many grassy areas and farms filled with crops and vegetables. Now, the moist soil from the forest and mountainous areas makes it the perfect place for these gophers to build an ecosystem in.

Summary of Where Do Gophers Live?

Mainly, the United States gopher species in the midwest and western parts of the United States with an odd exception to the southeast. Gophers live in the states of Alabama, Florida, and Georgia. Some other states they do live in are

• Nevada
• Wyoming
• Colorado
• Utah
• Arizona
• New Mexico
• Nebraska
• Iowa

The eight states mentioned in the article have the most gopher related reports to them. In no quantity of population size, these states are: