Minnesota mammals

Plains Pocket Gopher in Minnesota

Geomys bursarius

Native to Minnesota SNR Unranked in Minnesota

Not listed as nonindigenous in Minnesota by USGS NAS; native to its Minnesota 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 Minnesota, by the numbers

Occasional in Minnesota 31st most recorded of 88 mammals logged in Minnesota

888 occurrence records

262 with iNaturalist photos

Jul 10, 2026 Last seen in Minnesota

Records from 2000–2026.

888 total records count every Minnesota occurrence from GBIF and iNaturalist; the map plots a georeferenced sample of 300; the monthly chart covers the 855 records with a full observation date.

When to look for the Plains Pocket Gopher in Minnesota

Most sightings fall in April.

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

Monthly Minnesota records (table)

Month	Records
January	2
February	5
March	19
April	225
May	110
June	77
July	121
August	63
September	106
October	90
November	30
December	7

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

Seasonality

Year-round in Minnesota, with recorded sightings peaking in April.

Occurrence map

Where Plains Pocket Gopher has been recorded in Minnesota

300 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

300 Minnesota records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monument	iNaturalist records
Carlos Avery State Wildlife Management Area	32
Mississippi National River and Recreation Area	26
Bluestem Prairie State Scientific and Natural Area	5
Sand Dunes State Forest	3
Frenchman's Bluff State Scientific and Natural Area	3
Janet & Arthur Hartwell Memorial State Scientific and Natural Area	2
Boot Lake State Scientific and Natural Area	2
Helen Allison Savanna State Scientific and Natural Area	2

Protected places with the most plains pocket gopher sightings, from the USGS Protected Areas Database plus named mountain ranges, good spots to look, not a full breakdown, so they don't sum to the total.

Where it's recorded in Minnesota

County	Records
Ramsey County	275
Anoka County	108
Sherburne County	87
Otter Tail County	47
Washington County	33
Clay County	28
Hennepin County	27
Chisago County	26
Olmsted County	19
Goodhue County	16
Chippewa County	16
Polk County	15
47 other counties	191

The complete county distribution, spread across 59 Minnesota counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

Plains pocket gopher records in Minnesota run heavily through GBIF, 836 entries against 262 from iNaturalist, consistent with a fossorial species that spends nearly its whole life underground and is documented mostly through fresh mound sightings and trapping rather than photographs of the animal itself. Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge alone carries 15 of the named sightings, the single strongest site in the record.

Reports spike three times a year, in April and May, July, and September, a pattern that likely tracks the digging seasons when fresh mounds are easiest to notice on open ground. NatureServe has not yet assigned the species a Minnesota rank despite strong overall documentation.

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 Minnesota 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
USGS Protected Areas Databasepublic domainthe named parks, forests, and refuges behind "notable places to look"