Basic Facts About Gopher Tortoises

Gopher tortoises (Gopherus polyphemus) are so named because of their ability to dig large, deep burrows.

Diet

Gopher tortoises eat grasses, flowers such as asters and daisies, spurge, peas, beech and pines.

Population

There are an estimated 1,674,000 gopher tortoises in the wild.

Range

The range of the gopher tortoise is much smaller than it was in the past. Human activities have made the gopher tortoise’s historic range unlivable, forcing them into a greatly diminished continuous range that includes small parts of southern Alabama, South Carolina, Louisiana, Mississippi, Georgia and a larger area in north-central Florida.

Behavior

Gopher tortoises are one of the few species of tortoise that dig burrows. These burrows can be up to ten feet deep and 40 feet long, and are as wide as the length of the tortoise that made it. In addition to providing the tortoise a home, the burrows are also used by a range of other species including the indigo snake, Florida mouse, gopher frog and burrowing owl.

Reproduction
Mating season: April through June.
Gestation: 80-100 days.
Clutch size: 3-15 eggs.
Hatchlings that survive predation by raccoons, skunks and other predators often spend the first winter in their mother's burrow, then go off to make a burrow of their own.

Threats

Gopher tortoises are threatened by habitat loss, logging, disease, and road mortality.When developers want to build on an area that is gopher tortoise habitat, they either have to relocate the tortoises or take out an incidental take permit and then bulldoze over them. The gopher tortoises that are relocated often don’t stay in their new location. They try to move elsewhere and can be run over by cars.