Botta’s pocket gopher leaves a New Mexico record shaped by soil more than scenery. White Sands National Park and Organ Mountains–Desert Peaks National Monument place reports in the southern desert, where diggable ground can change over short distances.
February and March stand out, with another rise in May. Fresh mounds may be easier to notice during those periods, but the record doesn’t measure how many gophers are underground. Rocky slopes and seldom-visited flats can also look empty simply because they’re harder to survey.
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