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Botta's Pocket Gopher

Thomomys bottae

Description:

Rodent skull about 2.5 cm long.

Habitat:

Oak forest floor. I placed it on a burnt log for better contrast for the photos.

Notes:

"Main predators of this species include American Badgers, Coyotes, Long-tailed Weasels, and Snakes, but other predators include Skunks, Owls, Bobcats, and Hawks." - Wikipedia

1 Species ID Suggestions

Botta's Pocket Gopher
Thomomys bottae Botta's pocket gopher


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10 Comments

Thank you Geoffrey! I wouldn't have thought of a gopher because of the small size of the skull. I guess this one was a youngster.

GeoffreyPalmer
GeoffreyPalmer 11 years ago

Love the photos, especially the contrast of substrate and bleached bone. Molars and nose bones definitely make it a gopher, and your location leaves only one!

Thank you Emily and textless.

textless
textless 11 years ago

Interesting!

EmilyMarino
EmilyMarino 11 years ago

Beautiful series!

CindyBinghamKeiser
CindyBinghamKeiser 11 years ago

Yes this is the skull. I agree with mouse. Thank you

auntnance123
auntnance123 11 years ago

Most likely a mouse of some sort?

Hema  Shah
Hema Shah 11 years ago

So basically it looks like it is a portion of the skeletal remains?

CindyBinghamKeiser
CindyBinghamKeiser 11 years ago

Hi Ava, thank you. It was small, just over an inch long.

Ava T-B
Ava T-B 11 years ago

Nice spotting. How big is this?

Poway, California, USA

Spotted on May 8, 2012
Submitted on May 8, 2012

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