By Tyce Masich, AAg, Crops Extension Specialist, Outlook
May 2024
Across Saskatchewan, burrowing rodents are commonly referred to as “gophers” and are a pest responsible for damaging crops, pastures and agricultural infrastructure. What’s often overlooked about burrowing rodents is the many different species found in Saskatchewan. Proper identification of burrowing rodents is crucial for assessing risks to your crop and implementing control measures. Key distinguishing factors are found below.
Richardson’s Ground Squirrel: Richardson’s ground squirrels are commonly found in central and southern regions of Saskatchewan. They pose the greatest threat to producers as they feed on many different annual crops and forages. Their body is a uniform yellow to greyish colour, and their blackish tail is one-quarter their body length with white hairs on the outer edges.
Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrel: Like Richardson’s ground squirrels, Thirteen-lined ground squirrels are found in central and southern regions of the province. However, they rarely cause problems. They have brown fur with alternating light-coloured stripes and spots, and their tail is approximately half the length of its body.
Franklin’s Ground Squirrel: Franklin’s ground squirrels are found in central and south Saskatchewan; however, higher populations are found in the southeast. They only cover small areas and typically don’t impact fields. Franklin’s ground squirrels have a grey head, brown to reddish speckled back, and a long, bushy grey tail that is approximately one-third the length of its body.
Pocket Gopher: Pocket gophers are commonly found in central and southern regions of the province. These rodents are sometimes misidentified as moles as they create hills and tunnels in farmland, which damages root zones, especially in alfalfa. Their fur is greyish-brown, and their tail is approximately half the length of its body. Pocket gophers also have large teeth and claws on their front feet they use for digging.
Black-tailed Prairie Dog: Black-tailed prairie dogs are typically found in southern Saskatchewan. However, there are high populations in the southwest area of the province, especially in Grassland National Park around Val Marie. These rodents are protected by the federal Species at Risk Act. Correct identification of burrowing rodents in southwest Saskatchewan is critical before implementing control measures to ensure black-tailed prairie dogs are not killed. A distinguishing feature of black-tailed prairie dogs is size, as they are twice as large as a Richardson’s ground squirrels. They usually have a tan/brown fur coat with a whitish belly and black-tipped tails. In some case cases, their coats can also have some white, black or gray fur.
For more information on burrowing rodents and their identification, please contact the Agriculture Knowledge Centre at 1-866-457-2377 or your local Ministry of Agriculture regional office.