The West Side Gopher (or Woodland Creature of Some Kind)

Gopher on 26th Street; Photo: Matthew V.

Spotted by reader Matthew, because he knows we're fond of animals in the city: A gopher hanging out at a construction site, around 26th Street and 11th Avenue, which is very near the Martha Stewart Omnimedia offices (in the Starrett Lehigh building*). Gothamist can only suspect he was sent there by the enquiring minds at the Post or Dominick Dunne, to report on local color (like Gopher Stalker). Or perhaps he wanted in on the developing neighborhood before the Jets move in. Either way, Gothamist is calling him (her?) Terry (yes, like terra firma - our imagination only goes so far).

Gothamist on Ming the tiger, city turkeys, uptown monkeys, the Man Zoo, and the 350-pound turtle wandering Central Park.

* Someone pointed out the major typo for this post: Calling it the Starrett-Leigh building, instead of the correct Starrett-Lehigh (we also mispelled MSO as "Ominimedia" but you probably figured that out, and besides, "omini" is more fun to say). We also hear that Martha would drive home the correct spelling of the building by writing STARRETT-LEHIGH in capital letters. God bless good spelling.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jen Chung in Arts and Events on May 20, 2004 9:23 AM

Comments [rss]

Nick

Not a muskrat.

gogojojo

it's a muskrat. we used to whomp on em all the time. mean as mothers they are. try to get a look at the tail to confirm. good luck.

yojimbot

groundhogs are also better eating...

joe s

That's a groundhog/woodchuck (Marmota Monax). There's another den in Riverside park just north of Riverbank State Park. The difference? Groundhogs are big (10-15 lbs, 20 inches long), gophers are tiny (half a pound, 6 inches long).

Carl

Menace to the golfing industry...

yojimbot

maybe its an escaped capybara?!?

erikka

I'm pretty sure that's a gopher, as woodchucks are pretty rare and do not like to be in the company of humans. I thought gophers were primarily in the midwest? And does this mean there'll be a monkeypox outbreak soon?