The name for the North American rodents of the family Geomyidae. There are 39 species in 8 genera; 11 species are found in the United States. The distinctive name pocket gopher is applied to these animals since they have large, fur-lined cheek pouches which open outward on the side of the face. Two common species are the northern pocket gopher (Thomomys talpoides), a small burrowing species, most numerous in the western United States and Mexico, and the plains pocket gopher (Geomys bursarius).