The largest gopher in the world. Steppe ground squirrel: description, photos and interesting facts. Speckled steppe ground squirrel: brief description

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“The biosphere has more than once passed into a new evolutionary state... We are experiencing this even now, over the last 10-20 thousand years, when man, having developed a scientific thought in the social environment, creates in the biosphere a new geological force that has never been seen before. The biosphere has moved, or rather, is moving into a new evolutionary state, being processed by the scientific thought of social man.”

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11. This natural monument is

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Questions of the educational campaign “Ecological dictation”

1. Who and when was the term “Ecology” introduced?

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2. Name 4 laws (axioms) that B. Commoner formulated in 1974

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3. Who does this statement belong to and what is it about?

« Biosphere more than once passed into a new evolutionary state... We are experiencing this even now, over the last 10-20 thousand years, when a person, having developed scientific thought in the social environment, creates a new geological force in the biosphere, never seen before.Biosphere has passed, or rather is moving into a new evolutionary state, being processed by the scientific thought of social man.”

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4. Can an excess of territory in which a population lives hinder the growth of its population? What populations can this happen to?

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5. Acclimatization, from an environmental point of view, is a very dangerous process. What is dangerous about it for the organism itself brought to its new place of residence?

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6. What is an invasive species? Give examples of such species on Lake Baikal.

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7. Why do gophers settle in disturbed biotopes?

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8. What is the most common substance in the biosphere?

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9. The system of repeated observations, assessment and forecast of changes in the state of the environment under the influence of natural and anthropogenic factors is called

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10. How many reserves of regional significance are there in Buryatia?

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11. This natural monument is

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12. List the specially protected natural areas (SPNA) of federal significance around Lake Baikal

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13. What is the name of the only natural park in Buryatia?

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14. What is the largest fish in Baikal?

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15. Lake Baikal is under the protection of an international intergovernmental organization, a specialized agency of the UN. What is it called?

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16. Baikal is the only fresh water body where gas hydrates have been found. What are they and what do they mean for the future?

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17. In the literature about Baikal, the phrases “Baikal region” and “Baikal natural territory” are used. What is meant by these terms?

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18. What gas is dissolved in the entire thickness of Baikal water to the very bottom?

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19. What features of growth and development are characteristic of plants growing around Lake Baikal?

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20. What is the reason for the pronounced local endemism of the fauna of the Ushkany Islands?

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21. When and who first depicted Baikal on the map?

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22. What was the subject of study of G.G. Doppelmair’s expedition, and how did this expedition end? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

1. The boundaries of which protected area in the Republic of Buryatia completely coincide with the administrative boundaries of the region?

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1. How many districts of the Republic of Buryatia are located in the central ecological zone of the Baikal natural territory?

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1. Which department in the Republic of Buryatia was created for the functioning of protected areas of regional significance?

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Within its range, thin-toed gopher inhabits a variety of biotopes, however, preferring areas with sandy soil, to which it is adapted as a result of evolutionary development. Historical changes and the formation of modern landscapes in the habitat of this animal were at the same time the background that determined the entire constitution of the species as a desert and psammophilous form (Geptner, 1954). Despite this, it does not completely populate various types of sands, some of them animal definitely avoids. In the conditions of Central Asia this The rodent is numerous in hummocky, weakly consolidated sands bordering on shifting dunes and coarse hummocky sands. In the dunes themselves, as well as in ridges of fixed sand, it settles much less frequently (Naumov et al., 1935; Kolesnikov, 1953). In the southern Balkhash region, burrows of the thin-toed ground squirrel are most often observed in inter-barchan depressions or on the slopes of sandy ridges and hillocks covered with sandy sedge (Ca-rex physodes), Eremurus (Eremurus sp.), teresken (Eurotia ceratoides), ephedra (Ephedra lomatolepis), wormwood (Artemisia albicerata); the dominant shrubs there are juzgun (Calligonum aphyllum) And sandy saxaul (Haloxylon persicum).

Often the burrows of this rodent are located on the tops of dunes, where only aristida can be found (Aristida pennata) and single bushes of juzguns, sometimes completely bare. Quite often, these gophers are found in a combination of dunes in the initial stage of overgrowth and basins abundantly overgrown with herbaceous vegetation, which are pastures for them. The animals are also found among saxaul trees on loess soil, in areas adjacent to the river floodplains, heavily overgrown with herbaceous vegetation and shrubs - jingil (Tamarix hispida), Chingil (Halimodendron halodendron) and even in shorts (Salix sp. sp.). Young gophers usually come here during the settling period, and sometimes they stay there for the winter, making burrows on relatively hard sandy loam soil. But, as a rule, settlements are, to one degree or another, adjacent to areas of sand with plants characteristic of the main habitats of the slender-toed ground squirrel. Animals do not settle on takyrs, salt licks and clay deserts.

The most important climatic features of the areas occupied by the habitat of this ground squirrel are insufficient atmospheric precipitation, its uneven distribution over the seasons, high air temperatures in the summer, low in the winter months, sharp fluctuations during the day and high summer insolation, which dries out the surface layer of the soil.

In the thermal regime observed in the desert, when maximum daytime temperatures are confined to the surface of the sand and to the adjacent layers of air (up to 10-15 cm), The thin-toed ground squirrel turns out to be very dependent on daily climatic changes in the surface layer of air. The daytime activity of the animal depends on the air temperature, which leaves its burrows in the morning when the soil and air warm up, after they cool at night, and hides by noon, when it becomes too hot. The greatest daily fluctuations in soil temperatures extend to a half-meter thickness of sand, where temporary burrows are usually located, used only for short-term runs. Permanent holes with nesting chambers dig up to 1.5–2.0 m depths where animals experience the smallest temperature fluctuations in the summer months and where winter cold air also penetrates little.

Periods of warming and drying of sands are not so destructive for the thin-toed ground squirrel. He's typical animal an arid desert in which moisture on the surface cannot be detected even in the most abundant seasons of precipitation (Bogdanov, 1882; Dukelskaya, 1926; Kalina, 1929; Meklenburtsev, 1935; Vinogradov, 1926; Kolesnikov, 1953). The distribution of these rodents along river valleys is a rare phenomenon (Gladkov and Nikolsky, 1935).

In the Balkhash region, the thin-toed ground squirrel settles on the southwestern slopes of sandy hillocks, which are well warmed up and better protected from winter, cold northeastern winds. These slopes in Taukum are relatively gentle and gradually descend to inter-barchan depressions with compacted soil and thickets of saxaul.

The distribution density of gopher burrows in Taukum was determined by counting exits on sample plots measuring 3 ha. In addition, routes were laid in different directions from the starting point, passing along and across the sand ridge. The total route was 130 km. The census of burrows with preliminary digging and subsequent capture of animals in various biotopes was carried out on an area of ​​36 ha. The number of residential burrows reflects the number of animals per unit area.

Noteworthy is the relatively small percentage of burrow habitability (on average 19.7). Higher numbers of animals were obtained in the second half of June due to the emergence of young animals. On average, it was 2.7 animals per 1 ha, which was also confirmed by the results of route surveys of sands, which took into account the total number of burrows in a particular biotope. The largest number (5.3 animals per 1 ha) noted on June 17 in weakly consolidated coarse sands interspersed with takyrs. Their slopes are covered with sandy sedge, eremurus and single saxaul bushes. Takyrs, in turn, border on inter-barchan depressions, where herbaceous vegetation is richer and lasts longer. A large number of gophers, especially after the young ones emerged from their burrows and settled, were observed in the sands and saxaul forests adjacent to the Ili floodplain (3.8 per ha). Here rodents were found on small sandy mounds among saxaul forests, chievniks, and even in rare reed thickets trampled by cattle. In some places, gophers occupied abandoned and residential settlements of the great gerbil. A significant number of gophers was noted in weakly consolidated coarse sands at a great distance from the Ili floodplain (3.1 per ha). Moreover, the largest number of their settlements are confined to the slopes of sandy hillocks and the surroundings of abandoned buildings. Least populated by this ground squirrel (2.2 per ha) It turned out to be fixed finely hummocky sands, evenly covered with ephedra, ebelekom, wormwood and some types of saltwort.

The given data characterizing the population density of the thin-toed ground squirrel in Taukum should be considered approximate, since when conducting a census of these rodents using the method of sampling sites with preliminary digging of holes, errors may be made - buried Nora It opens on the third or fourth day after digging and not only by the ground squirrel, but also by other desert inhabitants. On the other hand, the extremely cautious thin-toed ground squirrel, having found the passage buried, does not try to open it from the inside, but digs out a new one at some distance from the previous entrance.

Slightly higher densities of distribution of thin-toed ground squirrel burrows (up to 20 per ha) We noted it in May 1954 in Southern Kyzylkum, where its abundance also fluctuates in different seasons of the year and in different biotopes.

A small rodent belonging to the Squirrel family. One of the largest representatives of this species is the steppe ground squirrel. You can find photos and descriptions of this animal in many publications about animals, but today we want to talk about it.

Appearance

An adult gopher has a body length of 25 to 37 cm. This animal weighs up to 1.5 kg. Approximately 35% of the total body length is the tail. You can see a photo of the steppe gopher in our article.

The hind legs of these animals are slightly longer than the front ones. The main difference between gophers and other rodents is the shape of their ears: they are short and slightly drooping. Gophers have so-called cheek pouches behind their cheeks.

The coat is short and thick. The color is light yellow interspersed with dark hair. The fur on the sides and belly is lighter. The tail has two stripes - light yellow on the outside, dark yellow on the inside.

Lifestyle

This cute animal lives in semi-deserts in the west of Kazakhstan, in the steppe zone of the Lower Volga region. In Central Asia, it prefers to settle in clayey semi-deserts.

The steppe gopher is an animal that prefers a solitary lifestyle. Under favorable conditions, the density of rodents reaches 8 individuals per hectare. Colonies of animals are located several tens, and sometimes hundreds of kilometers from each other. Each adult has its own feeding area, which it carefully protects.

In Russia, the most common types of ground squirrels are: large and small, as well as speckled. The thin-toed ground squirrel is also isolated.

Under natural conditions, the steppe ground squirrel lives 3-4 years. Sexual maturity occurs in the second year of life.

Life cycle

The steppe ground squirrel hibernates 9 months a year. In this sense, he is the record holder among all hibernating animals. This period ends at the end of February. The males wake up first, only after them the females, and only then the young individuals. Immediately after waking up, mating season begins. It lasts approximately two weeks.

Females carry their cubs for 30 days, small gophers are born in April-May. One brood can consist of from 4 to 14 cubs. The female feeds the offspring for a little more than a month, then the cubs leave the mother and begin an independent life.

Young individuals begin to dig a hole for themselves on a free mound; the soil there is much softer than on virgin soil. First, an inclined passage is dug, which is then clogged with earth from the inside. The vertical passage, which slightly does not reach the surface of the earth, is constructed by the animal closer to the onset of hibernation.

The soil that the steppe zone gopher throws from the lower layers to the surface is very important for soil formation. Many experts are confident that thanks to steppe rodents and ground squirrels, among others, the southern regions of Russia are rich in black soil, the most fertile in the world.

With the onset of heat, when the main part of the vegetation dries out, most gophers move from highlands to lowlands, since the grass cover remains fresh there longer. However, this does not happen in all regions. For example, in Central Asia, in hot weather, gophers go into summer hibernation.

The enemies of these rodents are various predators, including foxes, wolves, steppe eagles, and ferrets.

Steppe ground squirrel: nutrition

This rodent does not have a very varied diet. He prefers plant foods. As a rule, these are bulbs and stems of plants, seeds and tubers of cereal crops, of which there are more than 30 species. Before hibernation, the steppe ground squirrel spends almost the entire day searching for food. This is necessary in order to accumulate the necessary fat reserves.

Housing

The animal lives in burrows, which it constructs of several types. There are permanent, “rescue”, temporary shelters. The animals live in permanent burrows in winter, in temporary burrows in summer, and the purpose of “rescue” burrows is clear from their name.

The first two types of burrows have two passages and a nesting chamber. Their depth can reach 3 meters in depth, and their length can be 7 meters. “Rescue” holes are much smaller in size. This is a long underground passage, at an angle. In addition, sometimes the gopher can settle in the burrows of a large gerbil.

The steppe gopher is an extremely cautious and secretive animal. When danger approaches, he instantly hides in one of the nearest holes. If he has moved far from his shelters, he lies down on the ground and freezes. Thanks to the color of its fur, it remains almost invisible on the ground. If this technique does not work, and the danger still exists, it emits a high-pitched, loud whistle, which can disorient the enemy for some time.

A typical representative of the Gopher genus can be considered. This is one of the smallest animals in the family, its length does not exceed 26 centimeters.

Speckled steppe ground squirrel: brief description

He has a chiseled large head and a very mobile neck. The eyes are large and round. The paws are short, and the front ones have movable long toes. The peculiarity of the speckled gopher (as well as the animals described above) is that it has cheek pouches. They, of course, are not as large and roomy as those of a hamster. But at one time the gopher carries up to several dozen plant bulbs in its bags.

The body color is bright and variegated. Large spots of white are scattered on the brown back; this is the mottling from which the name of the species comes. The spots merge on the head and neck, forming whitish ripples. The “glasses” around the eyes stand out brightly against the background of the cheeks. The tail is decorated with a light border along the very edge. The speckled ground squirrel, unlike many of its relatives, is active during the daytime. He settles in meadows and steppes.

The speckled ground squirrel spends most of its life in an individual burrow. The animal is extremely energetic, but shy. Moving across open areas, he stands up on his hind legs and looks around. A frightened gopher warns neighbors of danger with a loud whistle.

It is not difficult to catch a gopher, but it is much more difficult to accustom it to life in captivity. One can hardly hope that this rodent will turn into an easy-going and responsive pet. Gophers are not accustomed to people. In addition, their lifestyle is not very suitable for keeping at home. Early in the morning they are active, and during the day they hide in a hole. In addition, it is necessary to take into account that these animals do not have a very pleasant smell.

Quite often, keeping gophers in a cage shortens the life of the animals, and sometimes leads to their death. Gophers do not reproduce in a cage. But if you really want to have this funny animal, then you should keep it in a spacious enclosure in the fresh air. The only species that may be suitable for keeping at home is the thin-toed ground squirrel. It is distinguished by its funny habits, which are very reminiscent of a squirrel.

There must be a shelter inside the enclosure so that your pet can safely hibernate. Cover the floor of the cage with hay or straw, which must be changed regularly. The gopher definitely needs a drinking bowl.

Surprisingly, the steppe ground squirrel is well adapted to heat. Scientists report interesting facts.

• These rodents are not afraid of changes in body temperature of up to ten degrees. For comparison, it should be remembered that a person feels unwell when body temperature changes by half a degree. The habit of sitting upright helps these animals avoid heatstroke: their head is away from the hot soil. But they don’t stay in the heat for long. The coolness of the holes and rare shade help out.
• The gopher, an inhabitant of the steppes, eats more than 16 kilograms of grass and grain over the summer.
• The small gopher is the most harmful rodent. It spoils pastures and destroys valuable forage plants. In areas of intensive agriculture, these rodents are exterminated.
• Fighting them saves the harvest and produces a large number of skins. It must be said that gophers can be carriers of dangerous diseases (plague, brucellosis, etc.).

Species: Citellus major Pallas, 1778 = Rufous (large) ground squirrel

Large or reddish ground squirrel - Citellus major Pallas, 1778

Due to its ecological plasticity and high reproductive intensity, the great ground squirrel is not a species with an important conservation status. However, in most of the range there is a decrease in the number or disappearance of individual populations. The main reason for this process is the reduction in the area of ​​permanent habitats of gophers due to the plowing of virgin and fallow lands, however, the anthropogenic factor (direct extermination) also plays a significant role.

Large ground squirrel: body length up to 34 cm, tail length up to 11 cm, weight up to 1400 g. The general color of the back is from ocher-brown to gray-yellowish-ochre, with whitish streaking or ripples formed by the white ends of the guard hairs. The top of the head is silver-gray. There is a red stripe above the eyes, and below them there is a pronounced cheek patch of the same color. The sides and limbs are reddish, the ventral side is gray-whitish-yellow. Tail with light edge. The overall color tone fades and becomes paler towards the southeast, but the humidity of the biotopes apparently has a significant influence on the color intensity. It differs from the closely related red-cheeked ground squirrel in its coloring, large size, and relatively long tail.

Spreading:

The plain and foothill steppes of Russia and Kazakhstan, along steppe areas, enter the forest-steppe and southern part of the forest zone, and along the meadow areas of river valleys into the semi-desert. To the north it penetrates farthest of all European ground squirrel species.

Northern forb, grass-forb, feather grass and wormwood-fescue steppes; along river valleys there are meadows that are not flooded with flood waters; long-term deposits; forest edges. It settles on pastures, on the territory of non-residential settlements, roadsides and embankments, dry lands and along the edges of ravines, on various household lands and crops. It does not rise into the mountains above 400-600 m above sea level. Prefers light soils: chernozem, meadow-chernozem, dark chestnut, sandy loam and light loam. It typically gravitates towards mesophilic, slightly turfed, moist and sandy biotopes with grass and forb vegetation, which is why in many places it is called the “meadow” gopher. Often the choice of habitat depends more on edaphic conditions than on the nature of vegetation, so the great ground squirrel is often found in areas of steppes rich in xerophytic plant elements - fescue and wormwood.

The large gopher forms sparse settlements, the structure of which is formed by mosaically scattered groups of animals. Coloniality is well expressed only in the south of the range, where areas suitable for habitation are small and clearly isolated in the landscape. The density of settlements in the south of the range can reach up to 110 burrows and 12-18 individuals per 1 hectare. However, in the northern and central parts of the range it rarely exceeds 30 burrows and 4-6 individuals/ha.

The number is subject to sharp fluctuations and can change by several orders of magnitude. Periods of mass reproduction are followed by depression in numbers, when single animals are found in settlements. The main factors of mortality are soil freezing during the hibernation period, late, long spring, human influence (including direct persecution), as well as pressure from predators and epizootics. Of the enemies, the most dangerous is the steppe polecat Mustela eversmanni, which destroys animals not only during their active life, but also during hibernation. A large number of ground squirrels are killed by foxes Vulpes vulpes and corsacs V. corsac. Young animals are hunted by the ermine Mustela erminea and the weasel M. nivalis, and near populated areas by domestic dogs and cats. Of the birds of prey, the main enemies are eagles - the steppe Aquila nipalensis and the imperial eagle Aq. heliaca, Buzzard Buteo rufinus and Black Kite Milvus migrans; in the north of the range, in addition, the common buzzard B. buteo, the greater spotted eagle Aq. clanga, and the long-eared owl Asio otus.

A large gopher in its area usually has from 8 to 10 separate burrows of two types - permanent and temporary. The first of them are more often located on elevated meso- and microrelief; Most of them have one entrance hole, so a characteristic feature of the settlements of the great gopher is the absence of gophers. The depth of the nesting chambers is 0.7-1.3 m; the total length of all passages is 1.8-9.0 m, the diameter of the entrance hole is 7-12 cm. Temporary burrows are less deep (0.3-0.8 m) and extended (0.8-1.4 m) and are simpler in structure; They break out both near permanent burrows and in feeding and temporary habitats remote from them. Females do not specifically build brood burrows; during pregnancy, they rebuild and complicate their wintering burrows.

The age structure is characterized by a significant predominance of one-year-old and two-year-old animals; in different years, the share of these two age groups in populations ranges from 74 to 95%.

Hibernation lasts 6.5-8.5 months. The awakening begins at the end of March - the first half of April, when in some places there is still snow. The timing of awakening depends on spring conditions and can last 20-25 days. Males are the first to emerge from hibernation, but there is no noticeable difference in the timing of awakening of females and males. True summer hibernation, which passes without interruption into winter, is noted in Kazakhstan, however, in other parts of the range, in dry years, old males and barren females go into hibernation in mid-June.

The usual two-phase daily activity for gophers is most pronounced in adult and old animals in the hot months of summer and in the south of their range. The young are active most of the day, usually without a break at midday. They show the greatest activity and mobility during the period of resettlement. In the northern and eastern parts of its range, the great ground squirrel exhibits a single-phase pattern of daily activity.

The great gopher differs from other types of gophers in being more mobile. The animals can move away from permanent burrows by 100-200 m, and when the vegetation dries out, they can move to more feeding places at distances of up to 300 m. They swim well and, if there is a lack of food, they can swim across rivers en masse, even as wide as the Ural in the middle reaches. The settlement of young ground squirrels occurs in 2 stages: first, within the boundaries of the mother’s individual territory, then the settlement space, free from other individuals, is developed. When settling, males move further from the brood burrow than females.

The composition of plant feeds ranges from 32 to 52 species with a predominance of cereals and flowering herbs. Animal feed does not seem to be of much importance. After waking up from hibernation, gophers feed on the root parts of plants and bulbs, then move on to flowers and leaves; cultivated cereals (rye, wheat, millet) are eaten preferably at the stage of milky and waxy ripeness.

The size of individual home ranges of large ground squirrels depends on the food supply of the biotopes and the density of settlements, and in general does not fall outside the range of 0.22 – 0.85 ha. Individual areas sometimes overlap (up to 30% of the area). In areas of overlap, aggressive territorial contacts are observed. In most cases, they develop according to the “dominance-submission” scheme, much less often they end with the active avoidance of one of the individuals from direct contact.

The Great Ground Squirrel has a polygynous breeding system. It is based on territorial groups of animals, the core of which is formed by aggregations of females, and the high mobility of males. Reproductive behavioral sequences have a clear beginning and end. However, more than 1 interaction with the same female was not observed. After contact is completed, the male begins to search for a new partner. The contact of opposite-sex individuals itself consists of repeatedly alternating sniffs and approaches of the male to the female. The leading role in contacts belongs to females. Substituting postures – lateral posture and “sitting” posture lead to the implementation of reproductive behavior, and hiding – to a short-term increase in the activity of males and the cessation of contact. A large number of expressive movements of females are associated with aggression, which is associated with the short time period of females’ readiness for mating, as well as with the high activity of males during this period. Similar variants of sexual behavior in New World ground squirrels are described in the literature as competitive polygyny. Mating occurs both on the surface at the entrance to the burrow and in the burrow.

Caring for the offspring consists of females monitoring the broods during their activity on the surface and preparing temporary burrows for the settling suslyats. There have also been cases of females transferring still blind cubs to better warmed parts of the burrow or to the surface when meteorological conditions worsen.

Group behavior of suslyat of one brood before the start of settlement is characterized by a gradual decrease in the degree of group cohesion and an increase in the proportion of agonistic contacts between its members. A special place in the behavior of young people belongs to play, which develops according to the “dominant-subordinate” scheme in two typical forms - with a change of the dominant role and without a change. The expressive movements recorded in play interactions correspond to the expressive movements of adults in reproductive and agonistic contacts. An important feature of all play contacts was the dominant role of males in them (83.3%).

http://www.bcc.seu.ru/programs/rodent/species/spermophilus_major.html

The gopher is a small rodent, a representative of squirrels, a pest and carrier of plague, tularemia and brucellosis. Due to the significant damage that this animal can cause to farmland, it is constantly hunted for varmint - sport hunting.

The animal, communicating with its relatives, constantly makes peculiar sounds. It was this feature that formed the basis for the name of the small rodent. In the Old Church Slavonic language the word “susati” means “to hiss.”

Description of the gopher

The body size of the animal varies from 16 to 26 cm, especially large individuals can reach 39 cm. Sexual dimorphism is observed among gophers: females are always lighter and smaller than males. The weight of rodents can reach 1500 grams, but in most cases the animal weighs about 190 g.

The hind legs of the gopher are slightly longer than the front ones. There are sharp, strong claws on the limbs that help rodents dig holes.

The animals' heads are small and elongated. The ears look a little underdeveloped. They are covered with a small fluff. The eyes are small with well-developed lacrimal glands. Thanks to this, the cornea is reliably protected from dust.

The structure of the jaw allows rodents to dig holes without swallowing soil. Some representatives of marmots have well-developed cheek pouches. They enable the animal to carry food into the hole.

The presence of gophers in the field can be easily determined by whistling. Animals, standing on their hind legs, constantly squeak. Peculiar voice signals are heard first from one side, then from the other. Thus, a family of rodents communicates with each other, informing members of their group about danger and the availability of food.

Depending on the species, the tail of an animal can be from 4 to 26 cm in length. Sometimes it is almost equal in size to the body. The tail in rodents performs a number of functions:

• in the steppe, to prevent overheating, the animal covers itself with it like an umbrella;
• in a hole, the gopher feels the walls with it, thus orienting itself in space;
• In winter, a sleeping gopher is covered with it like a blanket.

In the warm season, the animal’s fur is coarse, short, and not thick. When it gets cold, it becomes very soft and fluffy. Depending on the habitat, the color of the animals’ backs also changes. It can be with dark stripes, speckled, sandy, brown, greenish. The abdomen is most often yellowish or white.

How many live gophers?

Under natural conditions, no more than three years. As pets, some individuals live up to eight.

The gopher lives in temperate latitudes. It can be found in the forest-tundra and steppes of the Northern Hemisphere. Most often, the rodent prefers to settle in open landscapes.

The animal leads a terrestrial lifestyle. It independently digs holes, the length of which depends entirely on the soil. So, on sandy lands, it can reach 16 m, on clay lands no more than 8. Inside the hole there is often a nesting chamber, carefully lined with grass. Where the gopher lives, you can see sand mounds in front of the entrance.

Animals are active during the daytime. They rarely stray far from their burrow. Rodents settle in colonies of 19-29 individuals. Several gophers constantly guard near their burrows. If they see danger, they immediately signal the rest of the family. To protect their lives, rodents settle not far from animals similar to gophers - marmots. They also carefully monitor their surroundings and emit signals at the slightest threat. When danger appears, gophers stand on their hind limbs and whistle.

What do gophers eat? Despite the fact that the basis of the diet of rodents is plant foods, their diet varies greatly depending on the species and habitat.

In mountainous areas, the animal feeds on 78 species of plants. Of these, 19 are annual, 49 are perennial, 7 are subshrubs. In spring, the rodent's diet includes the roots of Tien Shan onions, dandelions, knotweed, and tulips. When greenery appears, the upper shoots of plants are used for food.

In mid-summer, rodents eat grass and seeds of small-petaled zeravshan, dandelion, bluegrass, knotweed, geranium, and hollyweed.

Animals also eat mushrooms and berries, young willow branches and birchberries. The diet of gophers also includes animal food: insects, voles, and small birds. They do not disdain carrion.

During the experiment, it was found that in the presence of a sufficient amount of food, only lactating and pregnant females ate the corpses of other animals.

Gopher breeding season

After the females awaken from hibernation, the mating season begins. The breeding process is short. The mating season lasts about 11 days. However, in some cases its duration increases to a month.

Females give birth once a year. Their pregnancy lasts 29 days. Cubs are born in May.

There are 3-16 cubs in a litter. But most often the number of cubs does not exceed 9. The number of newborn marmots is directly dependent on the habitat and sufficient food.

Lactation in females lasts 33 days. Males do not take part in raising the young.

Cubs are born blind. Their eyes open 21 days after birth. After only 28 days, the young gopher begins to feed on grass and move around. However, he continues to feed on milk. Having grown stronger, the juveniles leave the burrows for the first time. After a few days, young gophers begin to look for a home not far from their family.

Small representatives of rodents reach sexual maturity by next spring. The inhabitants of the northern regions begin to reproduce only after several hibernations.

In the first year, 69% of the juveniles die. This is facilitated by predators and the late onset of spring.

Hibernation in rodents lasts for six months. The gopher sleeps, sitting on its hind limbs, pressing its head to its abdomen and covering itself with its tail. During sleep, the animal loses half its weight. That is why it is so important that the animal accumulates a sufficient amount of fat during the warm season. Otherwise it may die.

Some time before hibernation, American ground squirrels begin to produce steroids in their bodies. Their number exceeds the average by 199 times. This allows you to increase muscle mass many times over. Experts have found that the adrenal glands help produce such amounts of hormones. An interesting fact is that in ground squirrels, under the influence of steroids, only muscle mass increases; other tissues are not affected.

With the onset of cold weather, rodents climb into their holes. The temperature there does not exceed zero degrees.

Winter is a real challenge for many animals. The sleeping gopher copes with frost thanks to anabolic hormones. During hibernation, the body's metabolism does not stop.

Accumulated fat does not provide the nutrition necessary for vital organs. The necessary glucose is synthesized from muscle proteins.

Animals hibernate not only because of the onset of cold weather. This is often caused by a lack of sunlight. The rodent body cannot cope with the winter cycle of night and day.

Once gophers enter their burrows, their circadian rhythms are blocked. Their body temperature at this time drops to -3°C. To prevent the blood from turning into ice, rodents clean it of all impurities that can freeze.

The duration of sleep of animals depends on their habitat. In the southern regions, hibernation is very short; in the northern regions it lasts up to six months.

Types of gophers

Experts count 9 species of ground squirrels living in Russia. In other latitudes there are about 29 of these rodents. The most studied species include:

A small animal with a short tail. The body does not exceed 23 cm. The fur on the back is brown with speckles. Light rings are clearly visible around the eyes. Small-sized cheek pouches.

Gophers live all the way to Turkey. They live in small groups of up to 10 individuals.

There are two entrances to the hole. Inside are three chambers, carefully covered with grass. They are located at a depth of about 90 cm.

The habitat of this gopher species consists of small isolated areas. The animal is under protection as it is in danger of extinction.

The body weight of a rodent can reach 790 g, body length 39 cm. The sizes of females and males are the same, but the weight of the latter is much greater. The tail is 12 cm long and fluffy.

The size of animals varies depending on their habitat.

The gopher's back is brownish with large light spots. The head is brown. The belly is bright, fawn. In winter, the animal's skin becomes light.

The animal’s habitat is Eurasia and North America. Rodents live in families. The number of individuals in them can reach 49.

The animal's body reaches a length of 31 cm. The tail is 9 cm. The back is brown. The head is grey. The large gopher has red sides and paws. There are ocher spots in the eye area.

The large ground squirrel prefers to live in mixed-grass steppes and forest-steppes. Often its burrows are located on roadsides and pastures. They can rarely be seen on forest edges. The large gopher never settles on clay soils.

The diet is based on bulbs, grass leaves, and cereal grains. The great gopher rarely consumes animal food. In search of food, it makes long journeys.

The large ground squirrel emerges from hibernation in mid-spring. First, adult males awaken, only then females. Starting in July, the great ground squirrel prepares for hibernation.

The great gopher is a pest of cultivated plants. Causes particular damage to grain crops. Because of this, it is subject to extermination. The large gopher is not a game animal.

The size of the rodent does not exceed 22 cm. It is one of the smallest representatives of the species. The back is light, sometimes with speckles. The soles are bare. The tail has a faint border.

Habitat from Lake Balkhash to the Dnieper. The northern border is located south of Poltava, the southern border to the Crimean mountains. The largest number of rodents is found in Kazakhstan.

The animal is active during daylight hours, but when temperatures rise, it seeks refuge in a burrow. During drought, it goes into hibernation, sometimes turning into winter sleep.

The diet is based on annual wheatgrass, tonkonogo, tulip grass, onion, and wormwood.

An animal similar to a small gopher. Length 23 cm. The back is dark, the spotting on it is weak. The belly and sides are gray. Similar to gophers, it was considered a species of small gophers.

Lives in low-mountain meadows of the Caucasus. The burrows are shallow and the nest chamber is small. It feeds mainly on plant foods. There are up to 4 cubs in a litter.

It is a natural carrier of such a dangerous disease as plague.

Body up to 25 cm. Superciliary and cheek spots of buffy-rusty color. The fur does not change with the changing seasons of the year.

The rodent is distributed in Siberia, Kazakhstan, the Caucasus, and Mongolia. Prefers to settle in semi-desert areas and feather grass steppes. It rarely digs holes in arable lands.

Rodents live in families. Each animal has its own territory. The burrows are shallow. Rodents breed in late spring. There are up to 11 cubs in a litter. Feeds on cereals.

The red-cheeked ground squirrel is a carrier of tularemia and plague.

The largest representative of the species. Body length can reach 38 cm, tail 11 cm. The steppe ground squirrel has a yellow back with a small number of dark hairs. The belly is slightly lighter than the top. Winter fur is very different from summer fur.

The yellow gopher digs long, deep holes. In addition to permanent ones, there are rescue and temporary ones. The animal lines the nest with leaves and grass. Habitat: loess-sand deserts, foothills, river valleys. Where a rodent lives, the territory always has a varied landscape. The main source of nutrition is tulips and cereals. Doesn't drink water.

The yellow ground squirrel is active in the evening and morning. In the heat it sits in a hole, closing the entrance with a plug of wet sand. Hibernation begins in summer and lasts until the end of winter.

Pregnancy lasts 29 days. There are up to 11 cubs in a litter.

The steppe gopher practically does not harm crops. The rodent is a carrier of tularemia, relapsing tick-borne typhus, and plague.

Another name is Eversmann's gopher. Animals, unlike other representatives of the species, have a more developed auricle. Body length reaches 31 cm.

The fur in winter is gray, fluffy, thick.

Gophers live in Transbaikalia. There, rodents eat 49 species of plants. Animals give preference to legumes. The diet also includes cereals, onions, and sedges.

The animal often wanders and can travel up to 149 km.

The burrows are complex and have earthen outbursts in front of the entrance. In front of the nesting chamber there is protection from flooding, which is a sharply raised passage.

After hibernation, rodents eat very little. When the animals wake up, they eat wormwood branches that are not covered with snow. As soon as thawed patches appear, gophers begin to dig up the roots of cereal plants. With the arrival of warmer weather and the appearance of fresh greenery, the diet of rodents is enriched with young shoots.

In summer, gophers bite off the top three leaves of the plant. If the stems are very tall, they bend them with their paws. Animals can eat dandelion and lumbago flowers.

In the summer months, the animals happily eat various insects, mice, chicks, mushrooms and berries.

When there is a shortage of food, cases of cannibalism occur.

A small rodent with a short tail. The body does not exceed 21 cm. The back is variegated. In juveniles, the specks are often arranged in rows. The bottom of the head is white. The chest is yellow.

Pregnancy lasts 29 days. There are up to 7 cubs in a brood. It feeds on bluegrass, oats, feather grass and fescue.

Carrier of plague.

The cute-looking rodent attracts the attention of people who love pets. However, gophers are not suitable for keeping as pets. Taming a rodent is extremely difficult. In addition, animals emit a specific unpleasant odor.

Gophers are often used for experiments and observations in laboratories. When breeding, rodents are placed in large enclosures in groups. It is best if the cages are located outdoors. Where the gopher lives, it should be cool. In warm rooms, animals do not reproduce and die soon.

For a pair of rodents, arrange a cage measuring 1.9x1.9. The foundation must be high and concrete. Inside the enclosure there are all kinds of shelters: pipes, boxes. It should also contain containers with water and logs.

At the end of summer, domestic gophers are given a large amount of leaves and straw in their enclosure to serve as bedding. As soon as the gophers begin to hibernate, the cage is covered with the same material. During suspended animation, animals are kept alone.

With the onset of spring, females wake up and are ready to mate. After 32 days, the cubs are born. It is extremely important 41 days after birth to remove them from the cage with the female. Otherwise, the young may be eaten.

It is better to keep thin-toed ground squirrels at home. They adapt to humans more easily and tolerate captivity more calmly.

How long gophers will live depends on their diet. The diet of animals should be based on:

• granulated feed;
• corn;
• vegetables;
• sunflower;
• corn;
• mealworms;
• gammarus;
• grass;
• fruits.

You can sometimes add beef bones and dog biscuits to the food. Clover, plantain, and dandelion are well eaten by rodents. Hay should be collected away from roads and well dried.

To prevent your pet from having problems with its teeth, branches of a pear, apple, and willow tree are placed in its enclosure.

Interesting facts about gophers:

• When a snake enters a hole, the female gopher stands across the passage and waves her tail. This creates the feeling that she is much larger than her actual size. The female protects her young even after being bitten by a snake.
• Juvenile rodents are the last to hibernate, after adult animals.
• The territory inhabited by a family of gophers is always guarded by several individuals. They stand motionless on their hind legs and if they see a threat, they emit a high-pitched squeak. It serves as a warning to all other animals.
• Rodents communicate with each other using ultrasound. At the same time, a person can distinguish a barely audible hoarse whisper.
• The animal's sleep resembles something like deep suspended animation. At this time, the rodent can be taken out of the hole, but it still will not wake up.
• The yellow gopher can hibernate for up to 9 months.
• The earthen emissions at the entrance to the burrow are called gophers.
• An animal similar to a gopher lives in the Caucasus. Despite the same phenotype, it belongs to the order of marmots. This rodent is a carrier of diseases dangerous to humans.