Creature of the day: The Gopher Tortoise 🐢🐢 The gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) is a species of tortoise in the family Testudinidae. The species is native to the southeastern United States. The gopher tortoise is seen as a keystone species because it digs burrows that provide shelter for at least 360 other animal species. G. polyphemus is threatened by predation and habitat destruction. Gopher tortoises are herbivore scavengers and opportunistic grazers. Thus, their diets contains over 3

Happy Turtle Tuesday! 🐢 This week's species spotlight is the Gopher Tortoise. The Gopher Tortoise is considered a keystone species here in South Florida! This means that they are extremely important for the overall structure of their ecosystems. Due to habitat loss, these amazing creatures have unfortunately become a state-designated threatened species! Gopher tortoises are primarily herbivorous, meaning that their diet is predominantly plant based. Some of their all-time favorite foods are gra

Yesterday we celebrated National Gopher Tortoise Day with our very own Dolly the Gopher Tortoise. Gopher tortoises get their name from their ability to dig deep burrows, which average about 15 feet long and 6.5 feet deep. They are considered a keystone species, meaning they are vital to the survival of an ecosystem, because their burrows are utilized by many other animals in their ecosystem. Hundreds of species use these burrows as shelter from predators and wildfires. Gopher Tortoise Day is mea

46K views · 469 reactions | Take a look inside a gopher tortoise...

2.7K reactions · 320 shares | Little Gopher Tortoise, Big Appetite 塞...