Geomys personatus
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
The Texas pocket gopher (Geomys personatus) is a species of rodent in the family Geomyidae. It is found in Tamaulipas in Mexico and in Texas in the United States. Males grow to a length of about 32 cm (12.6 in) including a tail of about 11 cm (4.3 in). Females are slightly smaller and both sexes weigh about 400 grams (14 oz). The dorsal surface is a dull greyish-brown and the ventral surface is whitish with darker patches. There is very little hair on the tail especially near the tip. The upper incisors have a pair of grooves.
The Texas pocket gopher is found in southern Texas as far north as Val Verde County and San Patricio County, and the state of Tamaulipas, the most north-easterly part of Mexico. Its range is patchy and disjointed, similarly to other Geomys species. It is common in the sand drifts on Mustang and Padre islands in the Gulf of Mexico. The population around Maverick County, Zavala County, and Dimmit County was recently recognized as a distinct species, Strecker's pocket gopher.
A single Texas pocket gopher occupies a burrow system that may have short side branches and about 30 m (98 ft) of passages. It defends its... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Padre Island National Seashore | 🇺🇸 United States |
More parks will be added in future updates.
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Texas Pocket Gopher sighting in Padre Island National Seashore on a given day, based on 24 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 4th most-seen of the 8 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January, June and November
In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Texas Pocket Gopher in Padre Island National Seashore on a given day, against under 5% in March and August, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Texas Pocket Gopher sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Only Padre Island National Seashore, in our data
Padre Island National Seashore is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Texas Pocket Gopher sightings: about 20% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same order: Rodentia
The closest relatives of the Texas Pocket Gopher that you can see in Padre Island National Seashore (order Rodentia, Rodents) are Spotted Ground Squirrel (about 30%) and Gulf Coast Kangaroo Rat (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Texas Pocket Gopher is recorded against all the mammals logged in Padre Island National Seashore (24 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
