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The peninsula of Crimea is unique. On its territory there are three climatic zones. As a result, he is rich in various animals. It was in Crimea that the ancient remains of the ancestors of the small gopher were found. Scientists for a long time worked on the peninsula during his examination, they caught 179 individuals.
Gopher population
Part of the population is biogeocenosis, specially created by human hands, that is, it is an artificial ecosystem. The population is met in cereal crops. Of the captured gophers, three were found in winter crops.
You can find a small gopher in a forest belt. However, it is not associated with the ancient components of the biotope, which means that it is possible to meet the small gopher only in single-tier plantings.
Lesser Gopher is a wintering species. They wake up in the spring, around February-March. Awakening is temperature dependent. Some ground squirrels hibernate in the summer.
Species of small gopher
The body length varies from 19 to 24 centimeters, the weight of an individual is 460 grams. The tail is only 1/5 of the body, its length is less than 4 centimeters. However, despite its size, the tail is very important in the life of a rodent. It is on the tail that special sensitive endings are located, which are guides for the ground squirrel in its underground passages.
Small gophers spend a lot of time underground, as a result of which they have poor eyesight. Because of this, they usually do not go far from their burrows.
Ground squirrels have lacrimal glands that help them withstand dust and dirt. This is very important, as the gophers' eyes are constantly polluted. Because of this, they have a very small, almost invisible auricle.
Small gophers have an amazing ability - a sound alert. Usually rodents squeak or whistle. Sound depends on the scale of the hazard.
The viability of the small gopher varies from 1 to 3 years. If the environment and climatic conditions are favorable, then the rodent can live up to 5 years.
Habitat
The distribution of the small gopher is quite large. Usually they settle in the plain and low-mountain steppes and semi-deserts. The borders of small gopher settlement in the east - to the Betpak-Dala desert, in the west - no further than the Dnieper; in the North - to Lake Zaysan, in the south - the Black Sea coast.
Lifestyle
Based on the observations of scientists, it was revealed that there are more females of small ground squirrel than males, and the sexual index is 0.8. If we talk about offspring, then more females are born than males.
Reproduction occurs after hibernation. Usually a pregnant female can be met in the spring (March-May), but it happens that they meet in the summer (June-July). The size of the embryos is absolutely impossible to designate, since the females were met with embryos, the length of which is 2-3 mm. This happened simultaneously with females, in which the embryo already has a body length of 31-36 mm. Gophers take great care of their offspring. The young appear blind, deaf and without hair, so they just need someone to help them.
One year has one generative cycle. Usually the female brings 5-8 cubs. The first time in their lives they are strictly in the hole.In April - May (depending on weather conditions) the young gopher cubs emerge from the hole. After that, after about a month, resettlement occurs.
Gophers live in colonies that can stretch for several kilometers. Gophers live in burrows, the depth of which can reach up to 1.8 meters, and the length of its moves can be more than 4 meters.
Gophers prepare their burrows for the winter period. The entrance of the rodents is closed with a special earthen plug, which is excavated only in the spring. The process of getting out of the hole can last up to 3-4 days. If the hole is old, then it can have several inputs.
Note! Small gopher is a carrier of the causative agent of plague, tularemia and brucellosis. In the Crimea, a rodent found hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome.
Nutrition
This is not to say that gophers are finicky in their diet. It is known that an individual eats about 32 types of feed. It is worth noting that the small gopher consumes animal feed, i.e. Crimean lizard, as well as various insects. Small gophers eat different grains - that's why the rodent is considered a pest. He can eat all fodder plants, leaving behind only weeds.
The diet of the small gopher also includes mint, feather grass, wheat grass and tulips.
Enemies
Scientists have noticed that the number of populations has recently decreased, some species have disappeared altogether. This was due to the fact that gradually the climate is changing. An important role was played by cultivating the land with chemicals that negatively affected the viability of the small gopher.
The little gopher is forced to confront large enemies: snakes, steppe eagle, looney, balaban, polecat and fox. Typically, rodents beware first of all the silver gull, then the fox and only after, the marsh moon. The remaining enemies are rare, raids.
Video: Interesting Gopher Facts
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