Parapatic distribution of Southern Pocket Gopher (Thomomys umbrinus)
(Geomyidae: Rodentia: Mammalia)

Pocket Gophers are fossorial (tunnel-dwelling) rodents that occupy extensive underground burrow systems, from which they emerge only rarely. Only certain types of soil are suitable for burrows: in consequence the ranges are highly disjunct. A total of 215 subspecies are recognized in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico; they may be separated by only a few meters in a parapatric distribution. They vary widely in pelage (skin & fur) color, which typically matches the local soil type.