Download The Gopher Tortoise - Gopher Tortoise Council

THE GOPHER TORTOISE:
A SPECIES IN DECLINE
“working to conserve the gopher tortoise and the fascinating world in which it lives”
Acknowledgements
The following people generously donated
photographs or slides for this presentation:
Joan D. Berish, C. Kenneth Dodd, Jr., George
L. Heinrich, Sharon Hermann, Joseph W.
Jones Ecological Research Center, Lee
County Parks & Recreation, Barry Mansell,
Jessica McGuire, Henry Mushinsky, Lora L.
Smith
• Developed by Laura Wewerka and Lora L.
Smith
• Updated by Jessica L. McGuire
The Gopher Tortoise
(Gopherus polyphemus)
Geographic Range of the
Gopher Tortoise
Legal Status

Alabama- state listed as Protected; federally listed as
Threatened west of the Tombigbee and Mobile Rivers.

Florida- state listed as Threatened .

Georgia- state listed as Threatened.

Louisiana- state and federally listed as Threatened.

Mississippi- state listed as Endangered; federally listed
as Threatened.

South Carolina- state listed as Endangered.

Eastern populations- candidate species
for listing under the ESA
Longleaf Pine Sandhill
Scrub
Pine Flatwoods
Coastal Dunes
Disturbed Sites
The Ecological Role of Fire
Promotes diversity
Cycles nutrients
Alleviates risk of wildfire
Regeneration after fire
Striped Newt
(Notophthalmus perstriatus)
Sand Skink
(Neoseps reynoldsi)
Red-Cockaded Woodpecker
(Picoides borealis)
Sherman’s Fox Squirrel
(Sciurus niger shermani)
The Gopher Tortoise Burrow
Adaptations for Burrowing
Hind foot
Forefoot
Burrow Associates
Gopher Frog
(Rana capito)
Eastern Indigo Snake
(Drymarchon corais couperi)
Florida Mouse
(Podomys floridana)
Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake
(Crotalus adamanteus)
Life History of the
Gopher Tortoise

Average length: 10-12 inches (25-30 cm)

Females slightly larger than males

Slow growing

Can live more than 60 years
Growth in Gopher Tortoises
Sexual Dimorphism
in Gopher Tortoises
Female
Male
Courtship
Nesting
Nest Predation
Hatchling Gopher Tortoises
 Hatchlings are 1-2 inches long (25-30 cm)

Use adult burrows or excavate their own

Soft shell renders them
vulnerable to predators
Food Plants
Stinging nettle
Prickly pear cactus
Wiregrass
Home Range Size

Adult Females:
0.2 – 1.4 ac (0.1 – 0.6 ha)

Adult Males:
1.1 – 3.2 ac (0.4 – 1.3 ha)

Juveniles (<4 yrs):
0.02 – 0.9 ac (0.01 – 0.4 ha)
Why Gopher Tortoise
Populations are in Decline:
Problems and a Few Solutions
Roads
Domestic Dogs
Upper Respiratory
Tract Disease (URTD)
 Symptoms
• Clear or white nasal discharge
• Watery eyes
• Swollen eyelids
The Danger: Asymptomatic
Tortoises
Habitat Loss
Development
Forestry Practices
Mining
Agriculture
Invasive Species
Gopher Tortoises and Roads

Direct effects:
• habitat loss
• mortality

Indirect effects:
• habitat fragmentation
• artificial habitat
Habitat Degradation
Options

Avoid impacting burrows- flag burrows before
timber harvest

Set aside on-site preserves/on-site relocation

Relocate tortoises off-site

Pay attention to road bankings/ slopes

Incidental Take/ Mitigation Banking- Florida
• Protect (and manage) habitat off-site
Gopher Tortoise Relocation
 THE
GOOD
• Saves individuals
• Restocking
• Increased knowledge of tortoise movements
Gopher Tortoise Relocation
 THE
•
•
•
•
•
•
BAD… AND THE UGLY
Net loss of habitat
Tortoises often leave relocation site
Disruption of resident populations
Labor intensive/costly
Transmission of disease
Diverts conservation funds
The Future
Land Management:
the Use of Prescribed Fire
Creative Conservation at Work
 The
Nature Conservancy- habitat
acquisition and land stewardship
 Mitigation
Banking
 County-wide
 Gopher
land conservation measures
Tortoise Conservation Initiative
 Tortoise
Reserve Program
What You Can Do

Landscape with native plant species (many are
food plants of gopher tortoises)

Become active in conservation organizations
that promote habitat protection and
management

Be a watch dog for tortoises

Write to your local politicians about issues that
affect tortoises and their habitat

Vote!
What to do if You Find a
Stray Tortoise
“Hands off” unless:
 On
roads, move tortoise to nearest habitat
(preferably in direction it was heading) BEWARE OF TRAFFIC!
 If
sick or injured, contact your local Game
Commission or Department of Natural
Resources
The Mission of the Gopher
Tortoise Council
 Education
 Habitat
protection
 Research
For More Information:
 Visit
our web site:
www.gophertortoisecouncil.org
 “Like”

us on facebook!
Write to us at the following address:
Gopher Tortoise Council
c/o Florida Museum of Natural History
P.O. Box 117800
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL 32611-7800
Thank You!