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 ...

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 ...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.— The Center for Biological Diversity and Nokuse Education, Inc. sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today for denying Endangered Species Act protections to gopher tortoises ...

Gopher tortoises — burrowers whose extensive homes shelter many other animals — are generally doing well and need federal protection only in the small area where they were declared threatened 35 years ...

As the urban sprawl of Georgia's ever-growing cities continue to cut into more and more rural areas, the impact greatly affects the state's wildlife inhabitants. A number of native animal species have ...

Gopher tortoise populations in South Carolina and several other Southeastern states won't receive special protections from the federal government any time soon. A recent analysis found populations to ...

Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. A gopher tortoise emerges from its burrow. In the Depression they saved starving Floridians but now they're the ones that need ...

A tortoise that was shot with a pellet gun, narrowly missing its heart, has been taken to a rescue center for treatment. Swamp Girl Adventures Reptile Rehabilitation, a nonprofit organization based in ...

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 ...

Nevertheless, Jensen said Georgia wildlife officials think gopher tortoise populations in the state would actually suffer from an endangered species listing, because many private landowners are ...

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 ...