Gopherus polyphemus
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| Gopher Tortoise | ||||||||||||||||||
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 Gopher Tortoise, Gopherus polyphemus
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| Gopherus polyphemus Daudin, 1802 |
Gopherus polyphemus, also known as the Gopher Tortoise, is a species of tortoise native to the coastal plains of the United States. They are predominantly found in the state of Florida, but also range into the states of South Carolina (extreme southeastern corner only), Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi.
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[edit] Description
Gopher tortoises are a medium sized tortoise, averaging 10 inches (250 mm) long and around 9 lb (4.1 kg) in weight at adult size. Their carapace is primarily a solid chocolate brown -grey / black in color, and their plastron is generally a yellow or tan color. Hatchlings are lighter in color. Males are distinguished from females by their concave plastron, and longer tail. It is one of only four species of tortoise native to North America.
Gopher tortoise males have 2 rounded scent glands under the chin to mark territory.
[edit] Habitat & Behavior
Species in the genus Gopherus are known for their digging ability. They often dig burrows several feet deep into the ground, where they spend the majority of their time. The burrows are generally located in dry places such as sandhills, flatwoods, prairies, and coastal dunes. Except during breeding season, gopher tortoises are solitairy animals, inhabiting a small home range. Within their range they dig several burrows.
The Florida gopher tortoise is considered a vulnerable species in the US. It is particularly common in longleaf pine forests. Because of the destruction of longleaf pine forests and their replacement with loblolly pine forests, its numbers have dwindled in these areas. There are currently breeding programs underway in many zoos.
[edit] Diet & Reproduction
Gopher tortoises are herbivorous, the bulk of their diet consists of grasses, such as wiregrass, but they will often consume berries, other fruit, or even scavenge carrion that they find within their reach.
Gopher tortoises mate in late spring, during the months of April and May. The female lays between 3 and 15 eggs in a sandy mound somewhere near her burrow. The eggs incubate and hatch in around 70 to 100 days. Hatchlings initially will spend time sheltering in their mother's burrow but soon wander off on their own. Maturity is not reached until 10-15 years of age.
[edit] Conservation concerns
Conversion of gopher tortoise habitat to urban areas, croplands, and pasturelands along with adverse forest management practices has drastically reduced historic range of the gopher tortoise. Taking gopher tortoises for sale or use as food or pets has also had a serious effect on some populations. The seriousness of the loss of adult tortoises is magnified by the length of time required for tortoises to reach maturity and their low reproductive rate. Current estimates of human predation and road mortality alone are at levels that could offset any annual addition to the population. Sightings of gopher tortoises have become rare in many areas and the ones sighted are much smaller than in the past (Diemer 1984). A number of other species also prey upon gopher tortoises including the raccoon, who is the primary egg and hatchling predator; gray foxes; striped skunks; armadillos; dogs; snakes; and raptors. Imported fire ants also have been known to prey on hatchlings. Reported clutch and hatchling losses often approach 90 percent (Landers et al., 1980). Many Gopher tortoises (Florida) have been destroyed as developers have had carte blanche to bulldose over them alive. This has changed as of 07/30/07 with new legislation enacted in Florida. This legislation is to end the Incidental Take Permit (IT).
Gopher tortoises are what is referred to as a keystone species. Many other species rely on the gopher tortoise's burrows for their own shelter, including gopher frogs (Rana capito), several species of snake, such as the eastern indigo snake (Drymarchon couperi), and several species of small mammals, like the cotton mouse (Peromyscus gossypinus).
As the gopher tortoise numbers decrease, the populations of the species which are dependent on them also dwindle. Accordingly, gopher tortoises are listed as an endangered species.
[edit] Related Species
Gopherus is a genus of tortoises commonly referred to as gopher tortoises. Gopher tortoises are found through the southern United States and in northern Mexico. Gopher tortoises are so named because of their ability to dig large, deep burrows. Their burrows are also used by a number of other species, which is what makes gopher tortoises so important to the ecosystem.
There are currently four recognized species in the genus Gopherus
- Gopherus agassizii, a.k.a. California Desert Tortoise, (Cooper, 1863)
- Gopherus berlandieri, a.k.a. Texas Tortoise, (Agassiz, 1857)
- Gopherus flavomarginatus, a.k.a Mexican or Bolson Tortoise, (Legler, 1959)
- Gopherus polyphemus, a.k.a Florida Gopher Tortoise, (Daudin, 1802)
[edit] References
- Tortoise & Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group (1996). Gopherus polyphemus. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Listed as Vulnerable (VU A1acde v2.3)
- Enchanted Forest Nature Sanctuary: Gopher Tortoise
- Savannah River Ecology Laboratory: Gopher Tortoise Fact Sheet
[edit] External links
- U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Threatened and Endangered Species System (TESS).
