Your best friend on Farmville may have been a gopher

Pocket gophers are the only known mammal apart from humans that actively farms plants for food, according to new research published Monday in the peer-reviewed journal Current Biology.

⛳️ Bill Murray must be having a fit rn… Previously, pocket gophers were thought to feed themselves almost exclusively via roots they encounter while constructing new tunnel systems (which are located several feet below the ground and can stretch 200+ yards).

• But digging is a very energy-intensive activity – 360 to 3,400 times more tiring than walking. And according to the new research, the animals aren’t able to find and eat enough roots as they go along to offset that high cost.

🚜 How they work: In the study, scientists observed the behavior of pocket gophers in their natural habitat in northern Florida. They discovered the creatures’ tunnels had grown new edible roots that emerged like stalactites and stalagmites, accounting for up to 62% of their daily caloric needs.

• The researchers ultimately concluded the animals were actively farming the roots by maintaining their massive tunnel systems, creating the perfect humid environment for roots to thrive.

✋ Yes, but… Some experts pushed back against classifying pocket gopher activity as ‘farming,’ arguing they’re instead simply harvesting the roots in a way that promotes growth (a “subtle difference”).

+One interesting thing: Unlike other gopher species – which tend to have designated waste areas – pocket gophers scatter their urine and feces throughout their tunnels, which fertilizes the soil and roots.