Gopher Tortoise Facts
The gopher tortoise (gopherus polyphemus) belongs to a group of
land tortoises that originated in North America 60 million years
ago, thus making it one of the oldest living species.
The gopher tortoises can be found throughout the state of
Florida and southern areas of Georgia, South Carolina, Mississippi,
Alabama and the tip of Eastern Louisiana. They dig their burrows in
dry habitats. The gopher tortoise grows on average to be about
slightly less than one foot long and weighs about 29 pounds, though
they have been found to be as big as 16 inches.
The gopher tortoise is unique in that it is one of the few
tortoises to actually make large burrows. Many tortoises hide under
vegetations or use very shallow burrows.
The gopher tortoise is a turtle as all tortoises are turtles,
but not all turtles are tortoises. Ray Ashton states in his
literature for the GTCI, think of them as a cow with a shell. They
graze on vegetation just like cows, and therefore, are important
players in spreading seeds. Gopher tortoises also have chiseled
looking front feet (flippers) and elephant like hind legs.
The gopher tortoise is a rather plain looking turtle as far as
colors go. They are either a dark tan, or gray. Their front legs
are broad and flat, almost like a shovel. Their back legs look just
like an elephant's legs. The top part of their shell is fairly
flat, The adult gopher tortoise is a rather drab looking animal,
which is in stark contrast for the brightly colored hatchlings.
The gopher tortoise reaches sexual maturity between 12 and 15
years of age, when their shells are about 9 inches long.
When determining the sex of a tortoise, the most noticeable
difference is that the male's plastron is concave, whereas, the
female's is perfectly flat.
The gopher tortoise has an elaborate courtship that begins in
the spring. They will nest between April and July. Typically, the
nests are dug very close to their burrow openings, where a clutch
of 4-7 eggs are laid. After about 80 - 90 days, the young hatch and
will often spend the first winter in their mother's burrow.
The gopher tortoise egg's are round and about the size of a ping
pong ball, they incubate for about 80 - 90 days, The sex of the
offspring is determined by the temperature of the sand or dirt
where the nest is incubating, if the temperature is above 30° C
(85° F), the tortoises hatchling will be females. Temperatures
below 30° C produce males.
Hatchlings are 1 - 2 inches long and grow about 3/4 inch a year,
Adults range in length from about 10 - 15 or 16 inches and can
weigh about 30 pounds. Gopher tortoises live upwards of 100 years
(tortoise pictured on right is about 2 years old)
.The gopher tortoise is a very important part of the local
ecology. As in any food web, if you start taking certain flora or
fauna out of the equation, then you can adversely affect the
survival of that ecosystem. The gopher tortoise is especially
important because the burrows, which are dug by the tortoises, also
provide homes for other animals, such as indigo snakes, gopher
frogs, mice, foxes, skunks, opossums, rabbits, quail, armadillos,
burrowing owls, snakes, lizards, frogs, toads and other
invertebrates, gopher tortoise burrows are home to about 250
species of animals at one time or another. Some species share the
burrows with the tortoises and others utilize abandoned burrows.
Since the burrows are used by so many species, it does not take a
rocket scientist to see that removing the tortoises from the local
habitat would leave many animals without homes. True, some of these
animals will be able to relocate, but there are a few species that
are found only in these burrows.
The gopher tortoise digs and lives in burrows, The burrows are
their homes. The burrow provides protection from predators and the
elements, and also during extreme conditions on the surface such as
drought, freezing weather, and fires. The burrows can vary in
length and depth. These variables are usually determined by the
level of the water table. Burrows can be as short as about 6 - 10
feet long, but they average around 30 feet with a record of
approximately 50 ft. (Ashton 2001). Depths vary from around 3 - 20
feet deep. The burrows vary in shape, with most being straight or
with only slight curves.
Gopher tortoises are primarily herbivores and feed on many
species of low-growing plants. The largest part of their diet
consists of grasses and legumes. They also eat gopher apple,
pawpaw, blackberries, saw palmetto berries, and other fruits.
Gopher tortoises will also scavenge and are opportunistic feeders,
occasionally feeding on dead animals or excrement.
Gopher tortoises rarely drink (or are rarely seen drinking) from
standing water. They can use their front flipper like legs to
dam-up water as it runs down their burrow during a rain. Most of
the water they get comes from the food they eat. During periods of
extreme drought they have been seen drinking standing water on the
side of the road.
In Florida gopher tortoises are on the Endangered Species List,
categorized as a Threatened Species. This means that their current
numbers are dropping but we are not sure exactly how much, several
studies presently being conducted on the tortoises are tiring to
more accurately answer this question. Their primary reason for
being endangered is a loss of habitat. In the past many tortoises
were killed either for food, or by people who were trying to kill
the rattlesnakes that often share their burrows.
We can all help gopher tortoises in the wild by preserving their
upland habitats. Or, if you happen to see a tortoise, or turtle for
that matter, trying to cross a road, please help them safely across
the street without changing the direction in which they were
traveling. Also, it is very important to never transport tortoises
out of their habitat. It only takes one sick tortoise to infect an
entire population of healthy tortoises.