Gopher Tortoise Images

Gopher Tortoise Images, Facts and Information:

Gopherus polyphemus

• Gopher Tortoises are medium-sized terrestrial turtles with domed, brown to grayish shells and sturdy, shovel-like forelimbs adapted for digging. Adults typically measure 9–11 inches in shell length.
• Gopher Tortoises are found in the southeastern United States, primarily in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, South Carolina, and parts of Louisiana. They inhabit dry upland areas such as longleaf pine forests, oak-sandhills, scrub, coastal dunes, and pastures with well-drained, sandy soil.
• Gopher Tortoises are herbivorous and feed on a variety of grasses, legumes, wildflowers, fruits, and low-growing plants.
• Female Gopher Tortoises lay 4 to 10 eggs in a sandy nest, often near the entrance of their burrow. The eggs incubate for about 80 to 100 days, and hatchlings are independent from birth.
• Gopher Tortoises dig extensive burrows that provide shelter for over 350 other species, earning them the title of a keystone species in their ecosystem.
• A group of tortoises is called a “creep” of tortoises.
• Gopher tortoises can live up to 90 years in the wild.

I hope you enjoy viewing my Gopher Tortoise photos.