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 ...

Florida is home to plenty of species that need no introduction: alligators, crocodiles, panthers, or manatees. However, a silent sentinel lies within burrows of Florida’s grounds. The gopher tortoise ...

A determined gopher tortoise has made itself at home in Nancy Cyphert's front yard in Fort Myers. This unexpected visitor is not only digging a massive hole under her house but is also causing concern ...

She’s spent 20 days at Honeymoon Island State Park urging drivers to slow down. It’s working. Max Chesnes is the Tampa Bay Times' environment and climate reporter, covering public lands, water quality ...

Dog is first in United States trained to find gopher tortoises and burrows. Goal is to protect gopher tortoises from development. Gopher tortoise burrows provide food and habitat for about 365 species ...

The fate of the gopher tortoise, Georgia’s state reptile and the only land tortoise in the eastern U.S., has worried conservationists for decades. Habitat loss and other factors have pushed ...

Not so long ago, one Georgia species was in critical danger of extinction, but in 2022 for the ecosystem, The US Fish and Wildlife Service declared the gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus)to be no ...