Gophers are members of the squirrel family, forming 10 separate species. They are a serious threat to farms in the steppe regions of the country..
Due to active breeding, these rodents are widely distributed throughout Russia.
Appearance, description and reproduction
The length of the body of the animal is approximately 30-35 cmThe tail is 30% of the total body length.
The color of the back is dark, golden brown with whitish patches and spots. Cheeks and eyes have rust brown spots.. Head and chest with silver tint.
Most of the body is covered with small specks.
The main habitats are steppe farmland with perennial crops. Gophers live permanently on the field, less common on roadsides, in beams and on the edge of the forest.
Some species are nomadic, moving through the fields. Rodents arrange their dwelling in burrows, which can be temporary or permanent.
Adults mostly live singly, in separate holes. Animals arrange special nests there, lining it with grass, straw and small sprigs.
The breeding season begins in spring when the animals awaken from hibernation. Female gopher can give birth from 5 to 10 cubs. After 1-2 months, young gophers become independent.
Distribution in Russia
Widely distributed in many regions, especially strongly in the Lower Volga region, Orenburg region, Ciscaucasia, Yakutia, in the regions of Western and Eastern Siberia.
Distribution density is very uneven, especially many rodents in the Volga region. During the development of virgin lands actively mastered the new territory.
Gophers pose a great threat to farmland and are actively fighting them. However, these are not the only pests that can seriously harm the crop.We have prepared for you a series of articles about such of them: shrews, moles, mice and wild rats.
What feeds on and role in the food chain
Gophers feed predominantly plant food, in large quantities eating grain crops and wild plants. Destroy various parts of plants at all stages of its development: sown seeds, young shoots, stems, leaves, flowers.
But most of all like to eat gophers ripe grains of cultivated cereal plantssuch as corn, millet, wheat and peas. In nature, the number of rodents is regulated by local predators: foxes and ferrets. The ravens and hawks are hunting the steppe gopher, or rather his cubs.
Types of gophers with photos
IMPORTANT! A day one gopher can consume up to 50 grams of grain. With an average population per hectare, you can lose up to 45 kg of crop.
The greatest harm to agriculture is six species.:
Little Gopher. It is very widespread in the foothills of the Caucasus, the Lower Volga region and in the regions of Siberia.
Little Gopher or Spermophilus pygmaeus
Mottled Gopher. Occurs in the Central Chernozem areas.
Speckled ground squirrel or Spermophilus suslicus
Red-cheeked. Mostly distributed in the steppes and foothills of the Altai, in Western Siberia.
Red-cheeked ground squirrel or Spermophilus erythrogenys
Long-tailed ground squirrel. Distributed in Western Siberia and Yakutia.
Long-tailed ground squirrel or Urocitellus undulatus
Reddish Gopher. Inhabits some areas of Bashkortostan, the Volga region and Western Siberia.
Reddish Gopher or Spermophilus major
Yellow Gopher. Occurs in areas of the Lower Volga.
Yellow ground squirrel or Spermophilus fulvus
Distinctive features
A distinctive feature of the rest of the rodents are large cheek pouchesin which the animals can carry a large amount of feed.
They also have a pair of yellowish-brown incisors that need to be ground constantly. These animals also differ in their ability to hibernate for a very long period.
Harm to farms
Gophers are multi-raven animals, which means able to damage a variety of crops. These animals cause the greatest harm to grain, eating both green crops and grains in the ear. As a result of such feeding, bald spots are formed around the burrows, with a large population, remote places are connected to each other and crops can be completely destroyed.
Gophers cause no less damage to corn cropsthey dig up germinating seeds, thereby thinning out the crops significantly. Also, on the ascended plants, they devour the first tender leaves, and the remaining hemp either completely die or develop very little.
In addition to eating green mass, damage is also caused when digging holes, when a large amount of land is thrown to the surface, thereby complicating harvesting. On pastures 20-30 individuals per hectare are able to destroy more than half of the forage reserve. They also suffer from re-planted forest belts.. They gophers dig and eat the seeds of various tree species.
For one season, one gopher can eat 4 kg of grain. When the number of 10 individuals per hectare, each will lose 40 kg of grain.
It should be noted that not only mammals can cause significant damage to farmers, gardeners and gardeners. Insect pests are no less dangerous.We have prepared for you a series of materials about the most merciless of them. Read all about the bear, Colorado potato beetle and locust.
Ways to fight
To combat gophers use several methods:
- Poisoned bait. Oat or corn kernels are soaked and treated with zinc phosphide. Then the grains are scattered by hand, with the help of automobiles or aviation, near a large accumulation of animal populations. In this case, you must strictly observe all safety rules.IMPORTANT. The grain for the bait should be of good quality, without impurities and odors.
- Aeration This method is complex and quite expensive. It should be used in places where it is impossible to apply the seed destruction method.
- Catching traps. This method is used on the outskirts of crops, near roads. Apply arc traps №0 and №1. This method is especially effective in the spring before the appearance of young animals.
Attention! Gophers carry the plague and other infectious diseases, and you can get infected through direct contact with the animals, and through the bites of the fleas that inhabit them.
Conclusion
Many species of gophers cause enormous damage to agriculture, destroying crops and pastures. Fighting them is a challenge for farmers.
