Mammals of Washington, Volume 2: University of Kansas Publications Museum of Natural HistoryDalquest, Walter Woelber
Science
Mammals of Washington, Volume 2: University of Kansas Publications Museum of Natural History
Dalquest, Walter Woelber
Mammals -- Washington (State)
The history of the pocket gophers of Washington has been traced
previously (Dalquest and Scheffer, 1942, 1944). It may be briefly
summarized as follows: At the close of Vashon-Wisconsin times, gophers
were found in the southern Cascades, on the Simcoe Bridge, the Columbian
Plateau, and in southeastern Washington. Following the retreat of the
ice, the gophers in the Mount Rainier area spread westward on the
outwash of the Nisqually and perhaps other glaciers to the Vashon
Outwash about southern Puget Sound and thence to the Olympic Mountains.
In the southern Cascades, gophers spread westward on glacial terraces of
the Columbia River to the vicinity of Vancouver, Clark County. The
establishment and growth of the forests split up the original
populations, and continued spread of forest has exterminated many units.
All the races in the lowlands of western Washington face extermination
as the prairies are reclaimed by forest.
Pocket gophers also invaded northeastern Washington from Idaho and
spread westward to the Cascades, thence southward until the native
gophers were encountered north of Mount Rainier and in the Yakima
Valley. The invading gophers nearly surrounded the Columbian Plateau.
T. H. Scheffer (1938B: 220-224) found the gestation period of the pocket
gopher to be approximately 28 days. No second brood is raised in
Washington. Near Kennewick, Yakima County, the young are born from
February to April. The average number of embryos found in 76 female
gophers was 6.3. Near Olympia, Thurston County, the young are born from
March to June. The average number of embryos from 312 females was 5.0.
=Thomomys talpoides devexus= Hall and Dalquest
_Thomomys talpoides devexus_ Hall and Dalquest, Murrelet, 20:3,
April 30, 1939.
_Thomomys talpoides ericaeus_ Goldman, Jour. Mamm., 20:243, May
15, 1939 (type from Badger Mountains, Douglas County, Washington).
_Type._--Obtained 1 mile west-southwest of Neppel (now Moses Lake),
Grant County, Washington, by W. W. Dalquest on May 30, 1938; type
in Museum of Vertebrate Zoölogy.
_Racial characters._--Size medium; ears tiny; color of upper parts
pale brownish gray; underparts white; postauricular spots dark.
_Measurements._--Two male and 4 female topotypes average,
respectively: total length 184, 184; length of tail 54, 55; hind
foot 25, 25; weight 89, 71 grams.
_Distribution._--The Columbian Plateau. Marginal occurrences of
the races of pocket gophers occurring in Washington are not listed
here because they have recently been placed on record (Dalquest
and Scheffer, 1944: 308-333, 423-450).
_Remarks._--This is the smallest and palest race of pocket gopher found
in Washington.
=Thomomys talpoides columbianus= Bailey
_Thomomys fuscus columbianus_ Bailey, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington,
27:117, July 10, 1914.
_Thomomys columbianus_ Bailey, N. Amer. Fauna, 39:106, November
15, 1915.
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