Every year around the country, scientists, nature-activists, and reptile-lovers alike all come together to celebrate National Gopher Tortoise Day on April 10th! These shelled landscapers are given a whole day of celebration to bring some attention to their importance and the role they play in the ecosystems of Florida. Being a keystone species, they deserve the spotlight! So, let’s take a closer look at why these gentle diggers are so special, and why protecting them matters more than ever.
Gopher tortoises (Gopherus polyphemus) can be found almost everywhere in Florida, ranging up to the southern half of Georgia, and spreading across to the tips of South Carolina and Louisiana. They occupy the dry, scrubby habitats of Florida, traversing lands of sand and dirt covered in slash pine trees and saw palmetto bushes. Gopher tortoises love to feast on low-growing grasses, flowers, and berries, the Cocoplum Bush (Chrysobalanus icaco) being one of their favorite delicacies! Gopher tortoises will live 40 to 60 years on average in the wild and can live slightly longer in captivity. Gus, a known celebrity among the gopher tortoise community, is a gopher tortoise living at the Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History who is going strong at 102 years old! Their age is one of the many things that speaks to their resilience as a species. Their durable shells have protected them for millennia against natural predators like coyotes,
armadillos, dogs, foxes, and, more recently, humans. Their sensitivity to vibration and cunning communication tactics have kept their populations strong.
The G. polyphemus species has earned most of its fame, however, from the impressive digging skills of the tortoises. Gopher tortoises, given their namesake, prefer to live in deep burrows dug underground. The tortoises have mighty front legs that act like built-in shovels, allowing them to dig tunneling burrows averaging 10 feet in depth and 40 feet in length. These burrows are not just a homemade oasis for the gopher tortoises. They can be used as a home by 350 other species! Animals like bunnies, snakes, frogs, countless insects, and even burrowing owls will share these gopher tortoise creations in one big community. This is what gives the species its title of a keystone species.
A healthy, functioning ecosystem can be described as a Jenga tower. There are some components of the wiggly tower of blocks that cannot be removed without the whole tower crashing down. In this case, the gopher tortoise is that structural necessity to the Florida scrub ecosystem. Without the tortoises there to dig their burrows, countless other species would not have their home!
Because their burrows are so critical to so many other animals, losing gopher tortoises means losing a whole web of biodiversity. That’s why conservation efforts, land protection, and public awareness are so important! You don’t have to be a biologist to make a difference. Supporting land conservation, driving carefully in areas where tortoises live, and avoiding disturbing their burrows are all ways to help. You can even become a “tortoise spotter” and report sightings to local wildlife groups. And of course, sharing the story of the gopher tortoise helps spread awareness, just like we’re doing here! So, the next time you see a little dome-shaped traveler making their way across the sand, give them a nod of respect. After all, heroes come in all shapes and speeds.