The question of whether true gophers inhabit Indiana often stems from the sight of unexpected tunnels and mounds in a yard, leading to the misidentification of other common burrowing animals. While the term “gopher” is frequently used as a blanket description for any subterranean pest, the Plains Pocket Gopher (Geomys bursarius) is not widespread throughout the state. This species maintains a limited population primarily confined to the sandy prairie soils of northwestern Indiana, such as the Kankakee Sands region. For most residents, the damage they observe is caused by the state’s far more common burrowers: the mole and the groundhog.
Defining the Term “Gopher”
The animal scientifically known as a gopher belongs to the family Geomyidae, commonly referred to as the pocket gopher. These rodents are named for the distinctive, external, fur-lined cheek pouches they use to transport food and nesting materials back to their burrows. The Plains Pocket Gopher, the species found in Indiana, is a solitary animal built for a life completely underground.
Pocket gophers are stocky creatures, typically measuring between 5 and 14 inches long and weighing up to a pound. Their physical adaptations include massive forefeet equipped with long claws for digging, small eyes and ears, and a sparsely furred tail used for navigation in the dark tunnels. Unlike other rodents, their large, self-sharpening incisor teeth protrude even when their mouths are closed, allowing them to cut roots and move soil without getting dirt in their mouths.
Moles and Groundhogs: Indiana’s Common Burrowers
The two most frequent culprits behind subterranean yard damage in Indiana are the Eastern Mole and the Groundhog, also known as the Woodchuck. These species differ significantly from gophers, and from each other, in appearance, diet, and lifestyle. Moles belong to the order Soricomorpha and are insectivores, meaning their diet consists almost entirely of earthworms, grubs, and other soil invertebrates.
The Eastern Mole (Scalopus aquaticus) is a small mammal, around 6 to 8 inches in length, distinguished by its velvety, gray fur and shovel-like forepaws that are turned outward for powerful digging. Their eyes and ears are concealed beneath their fur, reflecting their adaptation to a life spent constantly foraging in the dark soil. Moles are solitary animals that remain active year-round, continuously constructing shallow tunnels just beneath the surface to trap their prey.
Groundhogs (Marmota monax) are much larger rodents from the squirrel family, weighing between 4 and 14 pounds, giving them a stocky, cat-sized appearance. They are herbivores that feed on grasses, clover, and garden vegetables. Unlike moles and gophers, groundhogs are often seen above ground, especially during daylight hours, and they create extensive, deep burrow systems that can sometimes reach depths of six feet.
Identifying the Signs of Local Tunneling
The most reliable way to identify the animal tunneling in a yard is to examine the structure of the soil mounds and tunnels it leaves behind. Mole activity is easily recognized by the presence of raised ridges or “runways” that look like veins across a lawn, resulting from the animal foraging just below the surface. The mounds moles create are conical or volcano-shaped, appearing symmetrical with the soil pushed up from a central point, and any entrance hole is usually plugged.
Groundhogs, being much larger, create a different type of excavation mark, characterized by large, open entrance holes that can be 10 to 12 inches in diameter. These holes are typically found at the base of trees, under decks, or along fence lines, and they often have a large, scattered pile of excavated dirt pushed outward from the entrance. Pocket gophers, where they exist, create fan-shaped, kidney-shaped, or crescent-shaped mounds of soil that have a distinctive soil plug visible on one side, as the animal pushes the dirt out of a lateral tunnel.