Gopher Tortoise

November 19, 2020

Over 300 species of vertebrate and invertebrate animals have been documented using the burrows of this keystone species, whether active or abandoned. Because of the decline in southeastern forest habitat gopher tortoise populations have rapidly declined. It is a candidate for federal listing, and listed as threatened in the western part of its range.

The Longleaf Alliance, University of Georgia’s Savannah River Ecology Laboratory (SREL) and the SC Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) are collaborating to restore gopher tortoise populations in SC through a technique called “headstarting”. Eggs collected from wild populations are reared in captivity and released back onto the sites where they were collected. This collaborative effort helps to augment existing populations and give young tortoises a greater chance of survival.