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Dot recently stumbled across this intriguing story about an ecological intervention that involved introducing gophers to the devastation of a recently erupted volcano. It opens with this: “It would probably be pretty alarming to learn that, in the early 1980s, scientists decided to drop off a bunch of gophers at the site of a volcanic eruption. But don’t worry, it’s not as bad as it sounds. In fact, according to a report from the University of California, this particular gopher-volcano encounter proved to be such a net positive that its effects are still being felt 43 years later.” You’re curious, right? You can read the story here. And while we’re on the topic of gophers, let’s revisit this Dear Dot from the archives:
Dear Dot,
How can I remove gophers from my yard? We are trying a live trap, but they go past it and are eating roots off all the plants and even my huge collection of aloe vera. Please advise … no poisons, obviously.
—MaryAnn Marquez
Dear MaryAnn,
Though I have no reason to doubt your gopher-spotting abilities, I must ask you the same question that I was asked when I reached out to a couple of experts on dealing with urban wildlife: Are you sure it’s a gopher?
Gophers and groundhogs, I’m told, are often mixed up. What’s more, while groundhogs, common in North America, prefer somewhat populated wooded areas (humans = food), gophers, a sort of groundhog-adjacent rodent, are partial to more grassy or sandy terrain in North and Central America.
Both belong to the Rodentia order. But groundhogs (also known as woodchucks, and I apologize because you and I both will have that tongue twisty poem locked in our brains for the rest of the day) are part of the Sciuridae family — think squirrels, prairie dogs, chipmunks. The gopher, on the other hand, is a member of the Geomyidae family, which includes various species of mice and rats. This also gives a hint as to size. Adult groundhogs are typically the size of a large housecat, about twice the size of gophers, and though groundhogs like to dig, they don’t burrow tunnels with the same glee as gophers.
If you’re still scratching your head about which interloper you’re dealing with, start by taking a look at the tail: gophers’ tails are hairless and thin, like a rat’s; groundhogs’ tails are thick and bushy. (Fun fact about those tails, MaryAnn: Gophers often walk backwards, and so their smallish tails act as something of a white cane, feeling the ground behind them.) Also, groundhogs have the distinction of whiter, less visible teeth, while gophers look like they could stand a trip to both a dentist and an orthodontist. Oh, and gophers have little cheek pouches, where they store food. Groundhogs do not.
But to the real question: How can I evict them with kindness? |
