Activity and Plural Occupancy of Burrows in Botta's Pocket Gopher Thomomys Bottae

Abstract

Fourteen Thomomys bottae pocket gophers were radiotracked during 2 reproductive seasons in central New Mexico. Activity (proportion of time spent away from the nest) was low in both sexes (18.8%), but occurred throughout the 24-hr day. There were no significant peaks in activity although gophers were generally more active in the late afternoon. Previous studies have observed high levels of plural or multiple occupancy of single burrows during the breeding season; however, I found only three instances of short-term plural occupancy, suggesting checks on the reproductive status of nearest neighbors rather than cohabitation. Results of previous studies may have been biased by the trapping techniques employed.