Arkansas mammals

Plains Pocket Gopher in Arkansas

Geomys bursarius

Native to Arkansas SNR Unranked in Arkansas

Not listed as nonindigenous in Arkansas by USGS NAS; native to its Arkansas range.

IUCN Red List status

LC – Least Concern

Widespread and abundant; not at risk.

Photo: Sam Kieschnick · CC BYPlains pocket gopher emerging from a burrow in reddish soilPhoto: Unknown author · Public domainLive plains pocket gopher in side profile, showing its stout body, tiny ears, and large curved digging clawsPhoto: Evan H · CC BY 4.0Live plains pocket gopher crouched low in green grass, its small ear, blunt snout, and stout forepaws visible

Plains Pocket Gopher in Arkansas, by the numbers

Occasional in Arkansas 41st most recorded of 78 mammals logged in Arkansas

38 occurrence records

16 with iNaturalist photos

Sep 11, 2024 Last seen in Arkansas

Records from 2000–2026.

38 total records count every Arkansas occurrence from GBIF and iNaturalist; the map plots a georeferenced sample of 36; the monthly chart covers the 33 records with a full observation date.

When to look for the Plains Pocket Gopher in Arkansas

Most sightings fall in September to October.

33 Arkansas occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) by month of year, 2000–2026. Shows when the species is recorded, not a guarantee of presence.

Monthly Arkansas records (table)

Month	Records
January	0
February	1
March	0
April	0
May	0
June	4
July	3
August	2
September	9
October	6
November	1
December	7

Monthly plains pocket gopher occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) in Arkansas, 2000–2026.

Seasonality

Year-round in Arkansas, with recorded sightings peaking in September–October, with a smaller rise in December.

Occurrence map

Where Plains Pocket Gopher has been recorded in Arkansas

36 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

36 Arkansas records mapped

Where it's recorded in Arkansas

County	Records
Izard County	25
Bradley County	5
Drew County	2
Sevier County	2
Pulaski County	1
Newton County	1
Other localities	2

The complete county distribution, spread across 6 Arkansas counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

Plains pocket gophers spend nearly their entire lives underground, so Arkansas’s record for the species leans toward GBIF (36 of 38 records) rather than photographs, since actually seeing a gopher above ground is uncommon even where they’re well established. No NatureServe rank appears on file, SNR unranked.

September alone accounts for 9 of the 38 records, close to a quarter of the total, with the surrounding fall months of October and December also elevated; January through May show almost nothing, a gap that likely tracks when survey or mound-detection effort ran rather than any real seasonal shutdown, since this species doesn’t hibernate.

Occurrence data from iNaturalist and GBIF.

Full species profile Plains Pocket Gopher Geomys bursarius Size 25–35 cm9.8–13.8 in Weight 187 g6.6 oz Lifespan Up to 12 yr View the full profile

More mammals in Arkansas in the atlas

Data & sources

The data and visualizations on this page draw on these open sources:

GBIFCC-BY 4.0occurrence records behind the range map, elevation, and record counts
iNaturalistCC0 / CC-BY / CC-BY-SAobservations, photos, and audio recordings
NatureServe ExplorerCC-BYthe state conservation rank
IUCN Red Listattributed factthe global conservation status
USGS NASpublic domainnative / introduced status
Natural Earthpublic domainthe relief basemap
USFSpublic domainnational-forest boundaries