Nebraska mammals

Plains Pocket Gopher in Nebraska

Geomys bursarius

Native to Nebraska S5 Secure in Nebraska

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

IUCN Red List status

  1. LC
  2. NT
  3. VU
  4. EN
  5. CR
  6. EW
  7. EX

LC – Least Concern

Widespread and abundant; not at risk.

Plains pocket gopher emerging from a burrow in reddish soilLive plains pocket gopher in side profile, showing its stout body, tiny ears, and large curved digging clawsLive plains pocket gopher crouched low in green grass, its small ear, blunt snout, and stout forepaws visible
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 Nebraska, by the numbers

Occasional in Nebraska 51st most recorded of 95 mammals logged in Nebraska

433 occurrence records
16 with iNaturalist photos
May 30, 2026 Last seen in Nebraska

Records from 2000–2026.

433 total records count every Nebraska occurrence from GBIF and iNaturalist; the map plots a georeferenced sample of 300; the monthly chart covers the 426 records with a full observation date.

When to look for the Plains Pocket Gopher in Nebraska

Most sightings fall in May to July.

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

Monthly Nebraska records (table)
MonthRecords
January0
February0
March17
April16
May72
June96
July94
August12
September27
October39
November43
December10

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

Seasonality

Year-round in Nebraska, with recorded sightings peaking in May–July.

Occurrence map

Where Plains Pocket Gopher has been recorded in Nebraska

300 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

300 Nebraska records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monumentiNaturalist records
Nebraska National Forest 13
Missouri National Recreational River 4
Agate Fossil Beds National Monument 3
Scotts Bluff National Monument 2
Wildcat Hills State Recreation Area 1
Niobrara National Scenic River 1

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 Nebraska

CountyRecords
Antelope County 120
Lincoln County 31
Buffalo County 31
Phelps County 24
Douglas County 23
Sheridan County 23
Thomas County 22
Harlan County 22
Lancaster County 21
Dawes County 15
Knox County 14
Loup County 10
27 other counties 77

The complete county distribution, spread across 39 Nebraska 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 Nebraska’s 433 records lean almost entirely on GBIF specimen and trapping data, 430 of them, since actually seeing a gopher above ground is rare even where they’re well established. NatureServe rates the state population S5, secure.

May through July together account for 262 of the year’s monthly-tallied records, more than half the total, tracking spring soil-moisture conditions and peak trapping-survey season, while the record shows nothing at all in January or February.

Occurrence data from iNaturalist and GBIF.

Plains pocket gopher emerging from a burrow in reddish soil
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 Nebraska 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"