In this journal article, James Krupa and Kenneth Geluso examine how the Plains Pocket Gopher species adapt in their habitat using cryptic coloration matching the colour of the soil (dark, moist) in which they inhabit underground. This hypothesis was devised by Benson (1933) who noticed that the heads of this species resembled the colour of the dark, moist soil in which they lived in, rather than the pale, dry soil on the surface.
The scientists suggested that pelage colour should be favoured by natural selection in order to prevent the animal from danger to predation when exposed to the surface. The Geomys Bursarius is open to predation by the coyotes, domestic cats, snakes, and other nocturnal, diurnal and visually-orientated species.
This …show more content…
Samples of the species and the soil in which they inhabited were taken, subjected to certain conditions, and their colour was then recorded using a portable spectroradiometer. It was noted that all species recorded ranged from brown to reddish brown in colour, with an exception to the black species in Illinois.
This study proved that Benson’s hypothesis was correct. The Geomys Bursarius’ coat colour help deceived predators of their presence by contrasting with their background (in this case, the moist, dark soils in their burrowing habitat), and by eliminating the outline of the species. The heads of the animal resembled the colour of the dark, moist soils rather than the dry soils from their burrow systems. The same result was also obtained for the pelage coat of the species, with an exception of the brown species in the black soil habitat Eureka, Illinois.
It was observed that the species also use behavioural techniques to visually deceive predators. The Geomys Bursarius were noted to remain motionless at the entrance of their burrowing systems, and push out a volume of sand to the surface with their tails. It is believed that this motion was used to improve the chances of the species being able to detect the presence of