Gopher Aboveground

I am told that there are five species of pocket gophers here in California--can't say which one this timid fellow is, except that he's the kind that leaves those darn gopher mounds all over!

You may not know this fact about gophers: they have tails!

I'm just glad that the gopher wasn't digging up my lawn or I would have done something other than take his picture. Enjoy this up close look at a busy gopher making a mound!

The gopher's genus could be one of these from Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geomyidae
Subgenus Megascapheus:
Thomomys mazama - Western Pocket Gopher
Thomomys monticola - Mountain Pocket Gopher
Thomomys talpoides - Northern Pocket Gopher
Subgenus Thomomys:
Thomomys bottae - Botta's Pocket Gopher
Thomomys townsendii - Townsend's Pocket Gopher
Thomomys umbrinus - Southern Pocket Gopher