After Hurricane Helene devastated Florida’s coast, gopher tortoise populations unexpectedly surged in one area.

On the horizon directly in front of her burrow, about two miles offshore, Egmont Key’s historic lighthouse towered over ...

Park rangers say at least 84 gopher tortoises are now living at Fort de Soto Park near St. Petersburg. Prior to Hurricane ...

With populations spanning all 67 counties, gopher tortoises are far too busy as Florida’s only native tortoise species for ...

For example, gophers live the majority of their life underground, in a series of complicated tunnels and burrows. Groundhogs prefer to live above ground unless they are sleeping or facing ...

A chubby body, short tail and legs — I realized that I was seeing a plains pocket gopher. Pocket gophers (not to be confused with the "gopher" of Minnesota fame, which is not really a gopher ...

Visitors to Fort De Soto may notice some new residents. Experts say they’re monitoring 84 tortoise burrows at Fort De Soto, ...

The Bluenose Gopher may have retreated into its burrow for a few months (gophers live in burrows, right?), but its little ...

IT’S THE SAME THING IN OUR ECOSYSTEMS, RIGHT? GOPHER TORTOISES BUILD BURROWS, AND THOSE BURROWS CAN BE AN AVERAGE OF ABOUT 15FT LONG. IT’S BEEN DOCUMENTED THAT OVER 360 DIFFERENT SPECIES USE ...

A plains pocket gopher as seen away from its normal burrowing home, similar to one seen recently. Note the large claws on the front feet and the small eyes and ears.