As this keystone species' name suggests, the gopher tortoise is an expert at living underground — like a gopher. Gopher tortoises have shovel-like front legs and strong, thick back legs to help them ...

Listen to a Narrated Version of This Story in the ICYMI Series for the Line Life Podcast Wes Graham holds up his hand like a sergeant halting his squad. “See him? There he is,” he said. The ...

Wildlife in Southwest Florida can face an array of challenges in order to survive. Natural predators, hurricanes, vehicles and the constant growth and development taking place that impacts their ...

A rescued gopher tortoise arrived at the Nokuse Nature Preserve in Florida’s Panhandle while my sister Erica and I were there. It didn’t know how lucky it was. Across Florida, builders are required to ...

Not so long ago, one Georgia species was in critical danger of extinction, but in 2022 for the ecosystem, The US Fish and Wildlife Service declared the gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus)to be no ...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — New research is showing that the majority of gopher tortoises could be at risk of extinction in less than 80 years. According to a study from the Center for Biological Diversity ...

One of Southwest Florida's most beloved reptiles is finally getting celebrated the way it always deserved to be. Gopher Tortoise Day is April 10, with the goal of raising awareness for the threatened ...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.— In a formal peer-reviewed letter published today in Global Ecology and Conservation, experts in modeling and turtle biology detailed several errors in a population viability ...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (WFLA) — The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is investigating a mystery at a local nature preserve. The City of St. Petersburg notified the FWC in March after it ...