09/15/2022
Tortoise or turtle?
All tortoises are turtles, but not all turtles are tortoises! Here are some easy ways to tell them apart:
🐢 Tortoises, like our native gopher tortoises, are terrestrial – meaning they live on land and not in the water. Most turtles, like our native freshwater and sea turtles, live in water bodies but can also move on land (for nesting or, in the case of freshwater turtles, basking in the sun). Exceptions exist though — species like box turtles primarily live on land instead of in the water!
🐢 Tortoises have thick legs and feet that help them move more easily on land, while turtles have webbed feet and/or flipper-like legs to help them move smoothly through the water. The gopher tortoise also has shovel-like forelimbs that help them dig burrows which provide refuge to over 350 other species, called commensals.
Interested in learning ways to tell gopher tortoises apart from native turtles and nonnative tortoises? Visit: https://bit.ly/3Bgh38v
We are seeking input from the public on draft revisions to the Gopher Permitting Guidelines; want to learn more? Join our webinar this afternoon: https://bit.ly/3Bcm7em
