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The pocket gopher is often confused with the vole or the mole because of the similarities they share in their burrowing technique, however, all of these creatures leave their own exclusive calling cards that can be used to differentiate between them. The pocket gopher’s calling card can be found in the way the pocket gopher creates its mounds. A pocket gopher mound will typically be found in a fan shape radiating outward from a focal point that is usually readily apparent.
The pocket gopher is a voracious herbivore; it is often the usual culprit when it comes to plant damage and the definite perpetrator when plants disappear. The majority of mole species only cause plant damage when foraging for insects and grubs near the plants roots but will not eat the plant itself. Voles will often stop to "snack" on vegetation found in the creation of their burrow, but foraging for food underground is not their typical practice.
Pocket Gophers can be found from sea level up to 12,000 ft, residing in a wide range of soil conditions varying from rocky to loose conglomerate, but will avoid wet, saturated, or heavy clay settings. Depending on soil conditions, a single pocket gopher can dig a burrow system consisting of up to 200 yards of tunnel in a year displacing as much as 2 ¼ tons of soil.
Like moles and voles, pocket gophers do not hibernate, and are active throughout the day.