As is the case with a number of pocket gopher species, most aspects of the Western Pocket Gopher's life have not yet been studied. This Pocket Gopher lives in rich volcanic soils of alpine meadows and small glacial prairies, west of the Cascade Mountains in northern California, Oregon, and Washington. Learn more about the Thomomys mazama, more commonly known as a Western Pocket Gopher, in this easy-to-read species overview by the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History.