Gopher tortoise is now listed as “threatened”

Gopher tortoises (Gopherus polyphemus) belong to a group of land turtles that originated in North America about 60 million years ago, making the species one of the oldest living today. This plodding, methodical, armored reptile is at once eye-catching and fascinating. Pure nature lovers might even describe the sluggish critter as winsomely attractive, albeit grotesquely so. Of all Southern turtles, the familiar “gopher” is one that seldom fails to capture the attention of most observers, first-time spotters or otherwise. Designated Georgia’s State Reptile in 1989, the gopher tortoise is now officially recognized for its contributions to the ecological balance of the state’s coastal plain habitat. Now listed as “threatened,” it is considered a keystone species in the rapidly disappearing longleaf pine/ wiregrass ecosystem. A keystone species is defined as any species whose extinction would result in measurable changes to the ecosystem in which it occurs.

Despite efforts of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources to restore longleaf pine communities in select state parks and other protected areas, the long-term future of the State Reptile is far from assured. Experiencing an 80 percent population decline over the past 100 years, the gopher tortoise has all but disappeared in portions of its native range. The largest and healthiest remaining populations are in Georgia and Florida. Remnant populations also exist in South Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana.
Source: Albany Herald, August 27, 2016
http://www.albanyherald.com/sports/gopher-tortoise-declining-keystone-s…