Gopher Tortoise Diet Gopher Tortoises are the only tortoises in the southeast and they are only found in the south-eastern part of the country. They are one of the most long-lived animals on the planet, the ones living in the wild can live as long as 40-60 years and the ones living and captivity can live up to 100 years. They are a threatened species and are very close to being put on the endangered species list. The endangered species act states that “the law requires federal agencies, in consultation with the U.S. fish and wildlife service and/or the NOAA fisheries service, to ensure that actions they authorize, fund, or carry out are not likely to jeopardize the continued existence of any listed species or result in the destruction or adverse modification of designated critical habitat of such species. The law also prohibits any action that causes a ‘taking’ of any listed species of endangered fish or wildlife.” …show more content…
Gopher tortoises are very important to the environment in the south east because they are a part of the keystone species. Keystone species are species that other animals depend on. The tortoises’ burrows can be over 10 feet deep and 45 feet long and the width being the width of the tortoise. The burrows provide shelter not only for the tortoise but as well as hundreds of other species. Including mice, birds, insects, endangered indigo snakes, eastern diamond back rattlesnakes, gopher frogs, and burrowing owls, they need this shelter to stay dry when it rains and to hide from