MAMMALS OF UTAH 85 



COLORADO POCKET GOPHER 



THOMOMYS FOSSOR (Allen) 



Thomomys fossor Allen, Bui. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. V, 51, 

 April 28, 1893. 



Description — Summer pelage: Upper parts dull dark 

 browji with sometimes a rich chestnut tone ; ear and postau- 

 .ricular patch black; nose and face dusky; under parts buffy 

 or ochraceous ; part of feet and tip of tail usually whitish ; 

 chin usually, and spot on breast sometimes, white. Winter 

 pelage: Duller, more grayish or drab. Young: In sum- 

 mer paler and more buffy than adults. (Bailey.) 



Distribution — Mountains of western Colorado, extreme 

 southern Wyoming, northern New Mexico, eastern and 

 southern Utah, and northwestern Arizona. Specimens have 

 been taken at Beaver mountain, Buckskin Valley, Fish Lake, 

 LaSal Mountains, Panguitch Lake and Parowan Mountains. 



Habits — On the higher open mountain slopes, particu- 

 larly above timberline, one often sees peculiar long serpen- 

 tine ridges of earth, sometimes dry and hard packed, but 

 more often partially disintegrated through the action of 

 moisture. These are formed by gophers during the winter 

 when snow covers the ground to a considerable depth. The 

 loose earth thrown out is packed into the ramifying tunnels 

 which the animal has made through the snow on the surface 

 of the ground. (Gary.) 



YELLOW POCKET GOPHER 



THOMOMYS PERPALLIDUS AUREUS (Allen) 



Thomomys aureus Allen, Bui. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. V, 49, 

 April 28, 1893. 



Description — Winter pelage: Upper parts beautiful 

 orange-buff varying to paler and darker shades and some- 

 times with a wash of dusky along the back ; ear patch and 

 nose blackish in the darker and slightly dusky in the 

 lighter individuals ; under parts, feet and tail creamy white. 

 Summer pelage: Slightly darker. Young: more grayish. 

 (Bailey.) 



Distribution — Desert regions of southern Nevada, 

 southern Utah, western Colorado, central and northwestern 



