Gopher Tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus)

Physical Description:

•Average 6 " to 9.5" in length (females slightly larger than males)
• Large, strong, spade-like front legs
• Short, stumpy hind legs
• Upper shell (carapace) is dark brown to gray in color while "under belly" (plastron) is yellowish in color

Range:

• Historically found in the coastal plain stretching from eastern Louisiana, down through peninsular Florida and up to extreme southern South Carolina.

Habitat Description:

• Resides entirely in sandy, upland habitat of the coastal plain
• Although not exclusively found in longleaf pine forests, these fire maintained forests are open in nature and allow much sunlight to reach the forest floor which stimulates numerous low-lying grasses, legumes and forbs
• Epicenter of breeding, feeding, and lodging is a burrow averaging 40 feet in length and 10 feet deepconstructed by the gopher tortoise

Feeding:

• Since they cannot climb, jump or sit up, gopher tortoises feed primarily on low-lying grasses (like wiregrass) and forbs (like silkgrass)
• Also eats soft mast such as native blackberry, pawpaw, and palmetto berries

Breeding:

• Females reach sexual maturity between 10 to 20 years of age
• Female lays 3 to 15 eggs in the sandy entrance (apron) of the burrow
• Eggs take 80 - 100 days to incubate
• One clutch of eggs are laid per year
• Nest predation is high

Interesting trivia:

• Considered a "keystone species" because upwards to 360 different species of vertebrates and invertebrates use the burrow of the gopher tortoise.
• Long lived animal that can live in excess of 60 years.
• Slow growing animal that reaches maturity around 20 years.

Status:

• Declining throughout its range
• Federally threatened in areas of range.

Causes for decline:

• Predation (human, animals or insects).
• Fire suppression that degrades open forest conditions
• Forestry practices that degrade open forest conditions
• Habitat fragmentation (often resulting in accidents with vehicles)
• Disease
• Slow to reproduce

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