TORTOISEVILLE

Get to know Florida’s only native tortoise

TGO NatureScape and its team of supporting partners are working to improve this area for the gopher tortoises and other wildlife that live here. Dense stands of nuisance invasive species have been removed, and restoration plantings of desirable native species are being conducted.  This is a long-term project that will require a lot of work.  If you would like to volunteer to help, or provide financial support, please contact us.

Gopher Tortoises and Their Burrows

The gopher tortoise is a medium-sized, terrestrial turtle, about 12 inches long when fully grown. Tortoises do not go into the water.  They have stumpy, elephantine hind feet and flattened, shovel-like forelimbs adapted for digging.  Tortoises dig underground burrows where they spend up to 80% of their time.  Burrows average 15 feet long and 7 feet deep, but they can be up to 40 feet long and 10 feet deep!  Tortoises usually feed within about 160 feet of their burrow, but may sometimes travel farther to find the right kind of food.  Tortoises grow slowly, but they can live for 50-75 years.  

Keystone Species

The gopher tortoise’s presence is important to more than 350 species that benefit from the burrows that the tortoises dig. Because the tortoises alter their environment in a way that benefits other species, they are recognized as a keystone species. Animals that obtain food, refuge, and other benefits from the burrows are known as gopher tortoise commensal species. These include many species of snakes, the gopher frog, burrowing owl, Florida mouse, as well as crickets, beetles, and many other insects. Tortoise burrows are a great hideout for many animals when there is a wildfire or a planned prescribed burn.

Habitat and Restoration

Suitable gopher tortoise habitat contains: 

1) well-drained sandy soils for digging burrows and nesting, 

2) abundant low-growing herbaceous plants for forage.

3) open, sunny areas with sparse canopy for nesting and basking.  

 
Tortoises prefer natural habitats such as longleaf pine sandhills, dry prairies, and coastal dunes, but they are also found in disturbed habitats including pastures and residential areas.  Most of their historical habitat has now been covered with roads, houses, and other development.

Legal Status

Gopher tortoises are classified as Threatened by the State of Florida. It is against the law to kill, harass, or destroy gopher tortoises, their eggs, or their burrows. Gopher tortoises must be relocated before any land clearing or development takes place.  A permit must be obtained from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission before tortoises can be moved. Relocating gopher tortoises is difficult and expensive.  It is better to avoid impacting them than to capture them and establish them elsewhere.