What is the difference between a Gopher and a Woodchuck?
Gophers and woodchucks are both rodents. Rodents can either be considered pets or pests. Pests are enemies to humankind and they do all their best to keep them away.
Gophers and woodchucks are the most rodents considered pets. They are mostly found in the USA.
They share the characteristics of gnawing and digging. Due to this, most people confuse them and they refer to them interchangeably.
The main difference between gophers and woodchucks is that gophers are smaller while woodchucks are comparatively larger.
Comparison Table (Gopher vs Woodchuck)
| Characteristics | Gophers | Woodchucks |
| Size | They are small in body size. | They are comparatively larger in body size. |
| Tails | They have a rat-like tail. | They have furry tails. |
| Teeth | Their teeth are visible even if their mouths are closed. | Their teeth are not visible unless they open their mouth. |
| Color of teeth | They have yellowish teeth. | They have white teeth. |
| Claws | They have large and sharp front claws. | They have uniformly sized front and rear claws. |
| What they feed on | They feed on flowers, seeds, roots, shoots, and arthropod insects. | They feed on wires, dandelions, leaves, clover, and barks. |
| Litter | They give rise to between 1 to 3 young ones. | They give rise to between 1 to 9 young ones. |
| Lifespan | They live up to one year. | They live between 4 to 6 years. |
What is a Gopher?
Gopher is a rodent that is a pest. It causes destruction hence it is avoided much by human beings. They are mostly found in the Unite States of America.
Gophers like digging as they have sharp front claws. They keep on digging holes in lawns and golf areas. They are small in body size. They are approximately between 5 to 7 inches.
Male gophers are larger than their female counterparts. They have brown fur that matches the color of the soil in which they live.
They have cheek pockets that can be turned inside out and extend from the sides of the mouth to back onto their shoulders. Their teeth are exposed and they are yellowish in color.
They have small eyes and ears. Their tails are short and resemble that of a rat. They use their tail to feel around the tunnels when they walk backward.
They are solitary animals but only come together during the breeding season. They can breed throughout the year. They do not have a specific season for breeding. They give rise to between 1 to 3 offspring per pregnancy.
What is a Woodchuck?
Woodchuck is a rodent of the family Sciuridae. It is also referred to as groundhog. It belongs to the group of large ground squirrels.
It is a creature found mostly in North America. It is a lowland animal. They are larger than the gophers but the males appear slightly bigger than the females.
During the autumn season they are heavier as compared to the spring season when they emerge from hibernation.
Their teeth are white to ivory in color, unlike other rodents. Their teeth grow to 1.5mm per week. As they use them constantly, they wear them at the same pace per week.
They live a solitary life but during mating season they will search for more than one partner. Their litter ranges from one to nine. They sleep from October to March.
They feed on wires but like it when they feed on vegetables like dandelions, clover, leaves, and barks. They also feed on bird eggs and insects.
Main Differences between a Gopher and a Woodchuck
- Gophers are comparatively small in body size while woodchucks are large in body size.
- Gophers have rat-like tails while woodchucks have hairy tails.
- The teeth of gophers are visible even when their mouths are closed while the teeth of woodchucks are not visible unless they open their mouths.
- Gophers have yellowish teeth while woodchucks have white teeth.
- Gophers have large and sharp front teeth while woodchucks have uniformly sized teeth.
- Gophers give birth to between 1 to 3 young ones while woodchucks give birth to between 1 to 9 young ones.
Similarities between a Gopher and a woodchuck
- They are both grey or brown in color.
- Both cause destruction.
- Both have small eyes and ears.
- They both love to eat.
- They both gnaw.
- Both are types of rodents.
In Conclusion
Gophers and woodchucks are rodents that cause harm to human beings. They are mostly found in the USA. Both are small in body size although on keen look the woodchucks appear a little bigger.
Gophers have large and sharp front claws hence they are good at digging while woodchucks have claws that are uniform in size both the front and the rear claws hence, they are good at gnawing.
The main feature that makes gophers different from woodchucks is the size of their bodies.
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