Nearly 300 gopher tortoises will lose their homes if a developer is allowed to build a new Treasure Coast neighborhood atop nearly 600 burrows — which another 365 species depend on to survive.

Gopher tortoises were among more than 500 species listed in 2011 as possibly needing protection to settle lawsuits brought by two environmental nonprofits, Arizona-based Center for Biological ...

A gopher tortoise is seen at San Felasco Hammock Preserve State Park in Gainesville, Fla. Gopher tortoises that are threatened by loss of habitat and development should be placed on the endangered ...

Last week, the federal government denied protections to the gopher tortoise—a keystone species—east of the Mobile and Tombigbee rivers. Though this doesn’t change much for the gopher ...

FILE - A gopher tortoise ambles along a tee box on Sept. 21, 2014 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2022, that the burrowing reptiles don’t ...

Gopher tortoises live on higher, dry ground and dig burrows into sandy patches. That type of habitat is also coveted by people for development. "They must get permits and move them offsite ...

If you see an injured gopher tortoise, call 850-921-1030 to report it to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Click here to learn more about gopher tortoises.

That’s compared to a gopher tortoise found in 2016 that currently holds the record, weighing 14.5 kilograms (about 32 pounds) and measuring 42.7 centimeters (roughly 16.8 inches) in length ...

Gopher tortoises are considered a keystone species of longleaf pine forests, though they can be found in other ecosystems as well. The tortoise’s shovel-like front legs are adapted to create ...