The camas pocket gopher (Thomomys bulbivorus) is a rodent native to the Willamette Valley of northwestern Oregon in the United States. The herbivorous mammal collects its food in large, fur-lined, external cheek pouches, then hoards any surplus in underground tunnels. The coat, dull brown to lead gray, changes color and texture over the year. The gophers' large, protuberant incisors are well adapted for use in tunnel construction, particularly in the hard clay soils of the Willamette Valley. They make chattering sounds with their teeth; males and females make purring (or crooning) sounds when they are together, and the young make twittering sounds. Born toothless, blind and hairless, the young grow rapidly before being weaned at about six weeks of age. The species is prey for raptors and carnivorous mammals, and host to several parasitic arthropods and worms. While population trends are generally stable, threats to the species' survival include urbanization, habitat conversion for agricultural use and active attempts at eradication with trapping and poisons. Fiercely defensive when cornered, the gopher may become tame in captivity.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camas_pocket_gopher

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1860:

The Pony Express, a mail service that became the most direct means of long distance communication to the American West, began operation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pony_Express

1888:

The first of eleven unsolved brutal murders of women committed in or near the impoverished Whitechapel district in the East End of London, occurred. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitechapel_murders

1948:

An uprising began on Jeju Island, eventually leading to the deaths of between 14,000 and 30,000 individuals due to fighting between its various factions, and the violent suppression of the rebellion by the South Korean army. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeju_uprising

1961:

An individual Leadbeater's possum, thought to have been extinct for over 50 years, was discovered in New South Wales, Australia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leadbeater%27s_possum

1981:

The Osborne 1, the first successful portable computer, was unveiled at the West Coast Computer Faire in San Francisco. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osborne_1

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

elephantry: (military, historical) That branch of an army that uses elephants. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/elephantry

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

You may not believe in evolution, and that is all right. How we humans came to be the way we are is far less important than how we should act now to get out of the mess we have made for ourselves.   --Jane Goodall https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Jane_Goodall