First Gophers out sunning

The first gophers have recently emerged from winter hibernation to soak in the warm temperatures and sunlight. They have been in underground burrows since last fall, each curled into a ball, nose touching its belly and tail over its head. During the long sleep the heartbeat drops from the normal of about 200 per minute to an average of 17, and respiration is reduced to as low as seven per minute.

The Minnesota gopher, famous symbol of the University of Minnesota, is also called the 13-lined ground squirrel. The gopher, which is found in pastures and other short grass areas, is common throughout the state except in the northeast. Weighing from five to nine ounces, it is seven to 11 inches long, buff-colored with light and dark stripes and rows of spots down its sides and back. Seeds and insects are its main foods. While many burrowing animals leave piles of soil about their burrows, gophers scatter the soil widely, so that entrances to burrows appear on the surface only as small holes.

JIM GILBERT