Florida’s native and nonnative turtle species are commonly misidentified as gopher tortoises. You can tell these other species apart from gopher tortoises by looking for the characteristics listed here in our guide.

The gopher tortoise is one of five North American tortoise species and is the only tortoise naturally found east of the Mississippi River. Its range includes the southeastern Coastal Plain from southeastern Louisiana east to southern South Carolina, and south to Florida. Gopher tortoises occur in parts of all 67 Florida counties.

Gopher tortoises are long-lived reptiles that occupy upland habitat throughout Florida including forests, pastures, and yards. They dig deep burrows for shelter and forage on low-growing plants. Gopher tortoises share their burrows with more than 350 other species, and are therefore referred to as a keystone species.

The gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) is a terrestrial species and the only tortoise found east of the Mississippi River. They range from southeastern Louisiana to southern South Carolina, and south to Florida. Gopher tortoises are found in all 67 counties across Florida and have been on the planet for 60 million years.

The gopher tortoise is the state reptile of Georgia and the state tortoise of Florida. [5][6][7] Tortoises of the genus Gopherus are so named because of some species' habit of digging large, deep burrows like those of gophers. The specific name, polyphemus, refers to the cave-dwelling giant, Polyphemus, of Greek mythology. [8]

Biology and behavior: Gopher tortoises are most active during April–October, but in southern Florida they are also active on warm days in winter. They live in excavated burrows that are an average of 15 feet long and 6.5 feet deep and provide shelter from weather, fire, and predators.

2023年11月29日 · Gopher Tortoises use their relatively large hind legs to dig burrows in the ground. The size of the burrows range from 20 to 30 feet long and can be as deep as 8 feet! Once gopher tortoises leave their burrow, these large burrow systems are left behind for other animals and plants to utilize.

The gopher tortoise occurs in the Southeastern Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plains from southern South Carolina west through Georgia, the Florida panhandle, Alabama, and Mississippi to eastern Louisiana, and south through peninsular Florida. The range of the gopher tortoise generally aligns with the historic range of the longleaf pine ecosystem.

2024年3月29日 · The tortoises’ key role in the Florida ecosystem is what makes their population decline so concerning. According to the FWC, the gopher tortoise was listed as a “species of special concern” in Florida in 1979 and was reclassified as a “state-designated threatened species” in 2007.

Gopher tortoises occur in upland habitats throughout the coastal plain of the southeastern United States, with most being found in north-central Florida and southern Georgia. Their numbers have declined range-wide, but have been severely reduced …