The Gopher Tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) is the only tortoise indigenous to the southeastern United States. It is a moderate-sized, terrestrial turtle. Adults range between 9 and 11 inches in length, with an oblong shell, generally tan, brown or gray in color.

The Gopher Tortoise is endemic to the United States, and its eastern range occurs in the coastal plain from southeastern South Carolina to Alabama including all of Florida, which contains the largest portion of the global range of the species. The western range extends to extreme southeastern Louisiana.

The Gopher Tortoise possesses stumpy, elephantine hind feet and flattened shovel-like forelimbs that aid the turtle in digging burrows. These burrows range from three to 52 feet in length, nine to 23 feet in depth, and are also used by approximately 360 other species.

While typically inhabiting well-drained, sandy soils associated with the Longleaf Pine-xeric oak sandhills, the tortoise can also be found in a variety of other relatively dry, well-drained habitats with conditions that promote the growth of grasses and other ground cover they require for sustenance.

Extinction Pressure

Coastal urbanization, proliferation of pine plantations, and the associated loss of natural pine stands from both these activities are the main pressures challenging Gopher Tortoise populations. These conditions inhibit the growth of forage while contributing to a loss and fragmentation of habitat.

Between 1952 and 1999 the natural pine habit of the tortoise declined by over 61 percent due to urbanization and conversion to dense-row planting. The orientation of trees in dense row planting does not allow sufficient light to reach the ground cover the turtles require to survive.

In a natural stand, the trees are less densely distributed and allow adequate light, sustaining long term habitat required for Gopher Tortoise proliferation.

Habitat segmentation is believed to lessen the likelihood of males and females joining, detrimentally affecting an already slow rate of reproduction. Female Gopher Tortoises reach sexual maturity at between 9 and 21 years of age.
They produce only one clutch annually, with a gestation period of between 80 and 100 days, depending on abundance of food and on latitude. Predation of nests and hatchlings also challenge population growth.

Conservation Status

On January 13, 2006 Wild South and Save Our Big Scrub petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to list the Gopher Tortoise as Threatened under the Endangered Species Act in the eastern portion of its range. The species has been listed as such in its western range since 1987.

After several years of legal wrangling with the help of Wild Law, FWS announced its finding in the Federal Register on September 9, 2009. It concluded that the petition contained adequate scientific or commercial information as it pertains to habitat loss and other natural and manmade factors warranting a 12 month review of data to determine if listing is warranted. This finding represents a major step on the road toward protecting the Gopher Tortoise and the habitat critical to its survival and recovery.

Information and data for the 12-month study can be submitted through the web portal: www.regulations.gov