Natural history of animals; . Fig. 90. — Prairie Do; 6\ VERTEBRATES: MAMMALS. ing; hence its name. It lives in burrows, and largenumbers are found together, forming communitiescalled dog towns. Before each hole is a little hill ofearth, upon which the Prairie Dog sits on the lookoutfor intruders. At the slightest alarm it dives into itshole, but soon reappears. Their holes are also the homeof the Burrowing Owls and Rattlesnakes. The Pocket Gopher, Pouched Rat, or Geomys, of theprairies of the Western States, is nine or ten incheslong, with large front teeth, strong fore feet, and a shorttail.
Natural history of animals; . Fig. 90. — Prairie Do; 6\ VERTEBRATES: MAMMALS. ing; hence its name. It lives in burrows, and largenumbers are found together, forming communitiescalled dog towns. Before each hole is a little hill ofearth, upon which the Prairie Dog sits on the lookoutfor intruders. At the slightest alarm it dives into itshole, but soon reappears. Their holes are also the homeof the Burrowing Owls and Rattlesnakes. The Pocket Gopher, Pouched Rat, or Geomys, of theprairies of the Western States, is nine or ten incheslong, with large front teeth, strong fore feet, and a shorttail. Opening on the outside of the mouth are large. Fig. gr.— Pocket Gopher. cheek-pouches, which reach back even to the shoulders;and these pouches are lined with fur, and are entirelydifferent from the much smaller cheek-pouches of theStriped Gopher, which open within the mouth. ThePocket Gopher throws up a mound of earth which, insome instances, is ten feet in diameter, and two feethigh; and within this mound is its nest, where it rearsits young. From the mound it digs numerous gal-leries in different directions, one or two feet below thesurface of the ground. It uses its curious pouches forcarrying food, and for carrying away the earth whichit removes in digging its galleries. Coming to the sur-face with its pouches full of earth, it empties them soquickly as to puzzle the looker-on, and instantly re-treats into its hole. Pocket Gophers feed mainly upon GNAWERS. 65 the roots of plants. They are savage and offer battleto man. If two are placed together, they instantlyattack each other, and the stronger eats up the weaker. Beavers.
Size: 2325px × 1075px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectzoology, bookyear1895
