Not long ago one of our local newspapers published the photograph of a pair of alert looking Columbian Ground Squirrels. I was surprised because these little rodents are rather a common species in the South Cariboo, yet rarely the subject of pictures. My joy was short-lived after I read the caption misidentifying them as Gophers. Rather than huffing and puffing with indignation, or writing a letter to the editor demanding a retraction, I dug out my book of Canadian mammals so I could discover the differences between Gophers and Ground Squirrels.

Gophers and Ground Squirrels are fossorial mammals, this means they are adapted for a life of digging. Gophers belong to the family Geomyidae while Ground Squirrels are in the family Sciuridae. Each family has unique traits, which I will not go into now because my reference book is not at hand.

There are two gopher species in Canada, both in the province of Manitoba. The name "Gopher" comes from a corruption of the French word "gaufre" which in English means "honeycomb." Supposedly, the burrow-riddled areas created by Gophers reminded the original name-givers of a honeycomb.

However, this is where the story tends to get a tad confusing. The book explains that Gophers are solitary animals. They do not live in colonies, nor do they riddle the ground with holes. Gophers dig long tunnels in soft soil and are very secretive. On the other hand, Ground squirrels do live in colonies. They are not secretive at all, and often stand like little posts atop mounds of dirt chirping indignation at coyotes, humans, and hawks. Obviously, Gophers were misidentified as creators of the burrow-riddled ground. Ground Squirrels did the digging and Gophers got the blame.

Most likely, those who named the "Gopher" were moving from east to west across the continent, so they would have encountered Richardson's Ground Squirrels first, rather than Columbian Ground Squirrels. Perhaps the "gaufre" - "honeycomb" -"gopher" name would be better applied to the Ground Squirrel clan and thus we would have Columbian and Richardson's gophers. Of course, present-day Gophers would also need new names; perhaps Mole Rat, because people sometimes mistake Gopher burrows as the work of moles.

When I finished reading all the information on the naming of fossorial rodents, I decided that maybe the photograph caption, which misnamed Columbian Ground Squirrels as Gophers, was not so far off the mark after all. However, I still think of them as Columbian Ground Squirrels, and admire their ability to survive no matter what the wee beasties are called.