|
GOPHER TORTOISE
Gopherus
polyphemus
IDENTIFICATION: The
gopher tortoise is a rather plain looking turtle
as far as colors go. They
are either a dark tan, or gray. Their front legs
are broad and flat, almost like a
shovel. Their back legs look just like an elephant's
legs. The top part of their shell is
fairly flat. They can reach a length of twelve inches.
RANGE
AND HABITAT: Gopher
tortoises can be found throughout the state of Florida and
southern areas of Georgia, South Carolina, Mississippi,
and Alabama. They dig their
burrows in dry habitats.
REPRODUCTION: Gopher
tortoises have an elaborate courtship that begins
in the spring. They will nest
between April and July. Typically, the nests are
dug very close to their burrow
openings, where 4-7 eggs are laid. After eighty days,
the young hatch and will often
spend the first winter in their mother's den.
DIET: Grasses
and other plants make up the bulk of their diet,
although the tortoises will
eat an occasional insect or road kill.
FUTURE: Gopher
tortoises are on the Endangered Species List, categorized
as a Species of Special Concern.
This means that their current numbers are dropping
but we are not sure how much.
There are several studies presently being conducted
on the tortoises. Their primary
reason for being endangered is a loss of habitat.
In the past many tortoises were killed either for
food, or by people who were trying to kill the rattlesnakes
that often share their burrows.
GOPHER
TORTOISE BABIES: The
gopher tortoise babies at the Calusa Nature Center
were
born at the Center in August of 1998. Their parents
have lived here for a few years. One problem that
plagues wild gopher tortoises, besides habitat loss,
is an upper respiratory disease that is highly contagious.
Our gopher tortoise babies were infected since both
of their parents have the disease. As a result, one
of the babies was very sickly.
He wouldn't eat and we had to force feed him and
soak him in water on a daily basis. When he was found
he only weighed 37 grams. The other baby weighed
43 grams. With
lots of love and care from Center staff and volunteers,
both babies are doing well today. Though they still
have the disease, they are no longer visibly affected.
What a success story!
Our
tortoises are fed a healthy assortment of greens,
vegetables and fruit. The babies love
spinach, arugula and strawberries! Though the adults
love to eat cactus pear, the babies have not quite
acquired that taste yet.
The
highlight of their week is surely their Monday stroll
with one of our volunteers. They
spend about fifteen minutes basking in the sun and
happily munching grasses on our property.
We
can all help gopher tortoises in the wild by preserving
their upland habitats. Or, if you
happen to see a tortoise, or turtle for that matter,
trying to cross a road, please help them safely across
the street without changing the direction in which
they were traveling. Also, it is very important to
never transport tortoises out of their habitat. It
only takes one sick tortoise to infect an entire
population of healthy tortoises.
Anne
Grace
Adopt
an Animal Program
|
