Adult Tortoise
Gopher Tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus)
BabyTortoise
WHAT DOES A GOPHER TORTOISE LOOK LIKE? The gopher tortoise is a land turtle, usually
between 6 and 15 inches long. It is gray or
dark brown on top with a yellowish undershell. A
tortoise’s front legs are strong and shovel-like, great for digging burrows. Its front legs look like elephant’s legs. They help it carry its heavy shell.
WHERE DO TORTOISES LIVE? Tortoises prefer to live in dry sandy places near
woods or grass. They dig underground burrows
that are 10 to 50 feet long. These burrows
sometimes have more than one tunnel. When the
tortoise is not underground in his home, it might be warming up in the sun or looking for
food. Tortoises eat grasses and weeds, but can
also eat fruits and mushrooms. Many animals
make their homes inside tortoise burrows, including snakes, frogs, owls, and mice. The burrows are especially important during forest
fires, because they give many animals a safe place to hide.
WHY AREN’T THERE MANY TORTOISES LEFT? In Florida, the tortoise is a Species of Special
Concern. This means that there are not many
left. One reason is because people build
houses on their sandy habitats, leaving very little room for the tortoises to make their
homes. Also, many tortoises are hit by cars. Human litter attracts raccoons that eat the
tortoises’ ping-pong ball-shaped eggs. Raccoons
also eat the newly hatched babies. There is
also a coughing sickness that tortoises get. It
doesn’t always kill them, but it makes them weak and sick. Because of this disease, it is against the law to
move a tortoise from one place to another. Moving
one sick tortoise could give the disease to other healthy tortoises.
WHAT
IS THE LAW? It is against the law to keep a tortoise as a pet
or to play with a wild tortoise. The best
thing to do is to leave them alone. If it
looks like a tortoise is going to get squashed by a car on the road, you can carry him
across IN THE DIRECTION HE WAS GOING. Hold him
strongly on both sides of his shell. Also hold
him away from your body because he might pee on you. Look
both ways for cars so you don’t get squashed, and remember to wash your hands
afterwards! Click here to
see how we’re learning about tortoises on Pelotes Island!
RESOURCES:
Behler, John L. And F. Wayne King. The Audubon Society
Field Guide to North American Reptiles & Amphibians. New York: Alfred A. Knopf,
Inc., 1992.
Conant, Roger & Joseph Williams. Reptiles and Amphibians. Boston: Houghton
Mifflin Co., 1991.