gopher tortoise

Any of several North American burrowing tortoises of the genus Gopherus, especially G. polyphemus of the southeast United States.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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Noun

gopher tortoise - burrowing edible land tortoise of southeastern North America

gopher turtle, Gopherus polypemus, gopher

tortoise - usually herbivorous land turtles having clawed elephant-like limbs; worldwide in arid area except Australia and Antarctica

genus Gopherus, Gopherus - gopher tortoises

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References in periodicals archive

Trandahl said this ecosystem possesses tremendous biodiversity, providing habitat for wildlife such as the threatened or near-threatened gopher tortoise, indigo snake and Bachman's sparrow, as well as important game species such as northern bobwhite quail, wild turkey and white-tailed deer.

Alabama Power - Grants to help conserve pine forests, coastal habitats for rare species

And the commission decision did not allow mining in viable gopher tortoise habitat, she ruled, because the 54 burrows found there did not indicate a viable population.

Cemex wins Florida Expansion Case

Scrub jays are part of a vanishing ecosystem that also includes threatened wildlife like the gopher tortoise, Florida mouse, scrub lizard and sand skink, so conservation efforts that protect scrub jays protect these animals as well.

Scrub Jay Blues: Saving Florida's friendliest native bird matters

It is home to a variety of species including the threatened gopher tortoise, quail and other ground nesting birds.

North Florida Land Trust Has Acquired Thousands of Acres in Critical Wildlife Corridor

AMERICAN FORESTS IS working with The Longleaf Alliance through the American ReLeaf program to restore the gopher tortoise population and longleaf pine ecosystem across the Southeastern U.S.

A Race for Survival: At the Starting Line

Recognition of the vital importance of longleaf pine communities as floral biodiversity hotspots (Peet and Allard, 1993) and critical habitat for rare fauna such as Gopherus polyphemus (gopher tortoise; U.

Understory Vegetation Structure and Soil Characteristics of Geomys pinetis (Southeastern Pocket Gopher) Habitat in Southwestern Georgia

The NR program also carefully considers military training impacts as they support a thriving gopher tortoise population.

Military training and wildlife conservation meet at Camp Blanding

A gopher tortoise will use its claws to dig out of its home underneath the sandy dirt.

The gopher tortoise

Nest guarding in the Gopher Tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus).

Nest-guarding by female Agassiz's desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) at a wind-energy facility near Palm Springs, California

"At Home With the Gopher Tortoise: The Story of a Keystone Species" is an illustrated nature/conservation book for children featuring a unique "keystone" species.

At Home with the Gopher Tortoise