Both species are about the same size. Pocket gophers attain the highest densities on light-textured soils with good herbage production. Shallow soils limit pocket gophers due to tunnel cave-ins and poor insulation from warm summer and cold winter temperatures. Food Habits Pocket gophers feed on roots encountered while digging, on vegetation pulled into the tunnel from below, and on above ground vegetation near the tunnel. Pocket gophers prefer above ground portions of vegetation when it is green and succulent.
Plains pocket gophers prefer succulent forbs in spring and summer but also feed on grasses.
Alfalfa is preferred by gophers. Many trees and shrubs are clipped just above ground, especially under snow cover. Biology, Reproduction, and Behavior Pocket gophers construct burrow systems by loosening the soil with their claws and incisors. Gophers then use their forefeet and chest to push the soil out of the burrow. The soil is deposited in fan-shaped mounds 12 to 18 inches wide and 4 to 6 inches high.