ORLANDO, Fla. -- Though gopher tortoises have persisted for millions of years, they now face a barrage of threats from loss of habitat and developers with permits that allow the reptiles to be buried ...

A gopher tortoise emerges from its burrow. In the Depression they saved starving Floridians but now they're the ones that need saving. (Photo via Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.) ...

Once fully trained, Echo will be the first dog in the United States that sniffs out gopher tortoises, according to Jones and ...

ORLANDO, Fla. — Monday is Gopher Tortoise Day. To celebrate, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials are encouraging Floridians to help with conservation efforts for the threatened ...

Two gopher tortoises were spray painted with bright colors in Naples, Florida, causing a local conservancy to rush to their aid Conservancy of Southwest Florida An act of vandalism could have a ...

When Samantha S. and her family bought just over 2 acres in Middleburg, FL, in September 2021, they thought they’d found the perfect place to put down roots. The wooded lot, just minutes from Jennings ...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (WFLA) — The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is investigating a mystery at a local nature preserve. The City of St. Petersburg notified the FWC in March after it ...

Slow and steady wins the race, but unhurried preservation measures could lead to the Florida gopher tortoises’ demise. “They are these incredible ecosystem engineers,” said Elise Bennett, Florida and ...

“It was just peaceful and quiet. We loved the area. My aunt actually lives right next door,” she says. “And it would be within the same school district that our kids are in now.” The plan was simple: ...

Government agencies agree the gopher tortoise is in trouble. The lumbering grazers get squeezed by development, hit by cars, killed by disease and preyed on by invasive species like fire ants, which ...

Deputies routinely pull over speeders. However, a Florida deputy had the opposite issue when traffic was slowed down by a gopher tortoise taking a leisurely stroll along the highway. Deputy Leonard ...