GREAT FALLS — It’s that time of year again—burrows are popping up across Great Falls, and residents are noticing more furry critters than usual. But are they really all “gophers”? According to Brandi Skone, a wildlife biologist with Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks, that’s not quite the case.
“They're all pretty similar, and that terminology gets used quite a bit. We hear gophers quite a bit for anything that's a ground squirrel or prairie dog,” Skone explained.
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In reality, gophers are a different animal—true gophers are fossorial, meaning they live underground all the time.
In contrast, ground squirrels and prairie dogs are semi-fossorial; they spend much of their time outside their burrows. While it’s easy to confuse these critters because of their shared ancestry, Skone says there are important differences between them.
Richardson’s ground squirrels, which are smaller than prairie dogs, can still cause significant damage to landscaping, especially with their colonies.
Thanks to our recent mild winter, their populations are thriving this spring. And they’re not alone—marmots, also known as rock chucks or whistle pigs — are known to be even bigger troublemakers.
“We have an abundance of wildlife. Not only do we have the rock chucks on the course we do have gophers on the course,” said Jeff Stange, general manager of Eagle Falls and Anaconda Hills golf courses.
Golf courses have learned to adapt, fixing damage as needed and adjusting their maintenance routines.
Over time, Stange says, the marmot population has slowly declined on the greens.
Despite the headaches these animals sometimes cause, Skone emphasizes their critical ecological role. “They get such a bad rap. You know, the ground squirrels and prairie dogs, is that they are really important, for the environment. They serve a really important role.”
Ground squirrels and prairie dogs are key parts of the local ecosystem—they feed predators like hawks, owls, and foxes, and their burrows provide valuable habitat for other wildlife as well.
Stay tuned for more tomorrow as we take a closer look at the city’s plans for managing ground squirrels and what property owners can do if they’re having issues.
Click here to learn more about the various species in Montana.
