"Herps of the Southeast" Virtual Walk
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The Gopher |
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In 1978, a group of southeastern biologists and other citizens concerned with the decline of the gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) formed the Gopher Tortoise Council (visit GTC website). Their goal is to work for the wise management and perpetuation of the gopher tortoise, the animals that live with it and their natural habitats.
The Gopher Tortoise
A gopher tortoise's life revolves
around its burrow, which can be up to 40 feet in length and 10 feet in depth.
The tortoise digs its burrow with its shovel-like front legs. The width of the
burrow is approximately the same as the tortoise's length, enabling the tortoise
to turn around anywhere in its burrow. Gopher tortoise burrows are the lifeblood
of dry, sandy uplands.
Because these environments are
desert-like, the burrows, which remain at fairly constant temperatures and high
humidity throughout the year, provide shelter for more than 360 species of
animals including indigo snakes, gopher frogs, Florida mice, skunks, opossums,
rabbits, quail, armadillos, burrowing owls, snakes, lizards, frogs, toads and
many invertebrates.
- Range of the Gopher Tortoise
Gopher tortoise populations are scattered throughout the Coastal Plain of the southeastern United States, with most being found in north-central Florida and southern Georgia. The species has been severely reduced in southern Alabama and Mississippi, southeastern Louisiana, southeastern South Carolina, and along Florida's southeast coast and throughout much of the Florida panhandle. - Gopher Tortoise Reproduction
Gopher tortoises normally mate during April and May. Several weeks after mating, female tortoises lay up to 25 eggs, usually in the sand mounds in front of their burrows or in some other nearby sunny place. After hatching, young tortoises either live in their mother's burrow or dig a small tunnel near her burrow. - the Florida Gopher Frog, a closely
associated species
The Florida gopher frog (Rana capito) lives in dry wooded habitats where there are gopher tortoise burrows in which it makes its home. This species of frog is seldom seen during the daylight hours and is mainly active at night. During the day it will retreat into the damp burrows of gopher tortoises or into other cavities. Gopher frogs are best seen when they are calling from breeding ponds, which may be a mile or more from their home. They breed mostly during the winter and early spring.
Why is the gopher tortoise in trouble?
The
gopher tortoise is declining throughout its range. Recent studies project that
this species may not exist outside of protected areas for much longer unless
something is done to reverse this decline.
- Urban Development and Agriculture
Habitat destruction poses the most serious threat to the continued survival of the tortoise in much of its range. Both people and tortoises like to live in the high dry areas of the southeastern United States. Habitat conversion for agriculture is also a serious threat, since high and dry areas are preferred by both farmers and tortoises. - Road Mortality
Many tortoises are killed each year by automobiles. Highway mortality will increase as tortoise populations become enclosed and fragmented by more and more roads. Construction of roads further isolate tortoise colonies. However, it is possible to build roads with underpasses or other structures that allow tortoises and other wildlife to pass safely beneath. - Inadequate Protection and Law Enforcement
Gopher tortoises are protected throughout their range. Florida and Georgia classify the tortoise as a non-game species and require a scientific collecting permit for possession. Florida, which lists the tortoise as a Species of Special Concern, requires a permit to keep gopher tortoises as pets. Alabama designates the gopher tortoise as a game animal but specifies that there is no open season during which it may be lawfully hunted, taken, caught, captured, or killed. Both South Carolina and Mississippi list the tortoise as an Endangered Species. In addition, gopher tortoises west of the Tombigbee and Mobile Rivers in Alabama are listed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as Threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Unfortunately, even with these laws and enforcement, gopher tortoise populations are still in decline. More protection is needed to ensure the survival of today's gopher tortoise populations.
What can be done to preserve gopher tortoises and their burrow associates?
- Help raise awareness in your community to increase the protection of gopher tortoises and their burrow associates.
- Support legislation to protect threatened and endangered species in your state.
- Support natural habitat management and restoration programs.
For more information, please write to the
Gopher Tortoise Council, c/o
Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611.
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