Botanical Glossary - Home

Strutting his stuff, walking with purpose down Highway 804 West not seeming to care that not more than 15 feet away a bustle of swerving, honking, automobiles zoom along the road between Turnpike exits and Boyton Beach. This big guy has a shell that measures about 15 inches in length and about 9 inches across, rather large; That would make a messy speed bump if he decided to wander out into the traffic. I surprisingly came upon this fellow as I headed away from the beaches in search for a camping spot away from the madding crowds.

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The gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) is a species of the Gopherus genus native to the southeastern United States. The gopher tortoise is seen as a keystone species because it digs burrows that provide shelter for 360 other animal species. They are threatened by predation and habitat destruction.

The gopher tortoise is a representative of the genus Gopherus, which contains the only tortoises native to North America. This species of gopher tortoise is the state reptile of Georgia and the state tortoise of Florida.

Gopher tortoise can be identified easily based on their appearance. A typical tortoise has a large head. Their skin color ranges from light to grayish or dark brown skin. Their long front legs are for burrowing, unlike their behind legs which are shorter. Their upper shell, called a “carapace” is yellowish brown. The average size ranges from 107 mm to 240 mm in length. The gopher tortoise can have a shell up to 37 centimeters or 14.6 inches in length. On average, individuals are a bit less than one foot long. The gopher tortoise's carapace is a solid dark-brown to grayish color. Hatchlings are more yellowish in color. They have hind legs reminiscent of those of an elephant, shovel-like forelimbs, and a gular projection on a yellowish, hingeless plastron.

Male gopher tortoises have two subdentary scent glands under the chin. Males are distinguished from females by their concave plastron and longer tail, but the sexes can be difficult to tell apart.

Gopherous Polyphemus (Gopher Tortoise) slowly walking along Highway 804 in Boyton Beach, Florida - September 13, 2011.