Gopher Tortoise Council

05/23/2026

Happy World Turtle Day! 🌎🐢💚

HAPPY WORLD TURTLE DAY! 🐢

05/15/2026

Mother nature’s ecosystem engineer! 🐢💚

I drove two hours to a state park near Gainesville to photograph one of Florida’s most important (and most mysterious) reptiles: the gopher tortoise. To make...

05/12/2026

The fantastic film follows a biology professor (and GTC board member!), Dr. Jeff Goessling from Eckerd College and his research team as they attempt to collect and radiograph all of the female tortoises at Boyd Hill. The documentary shows both the technical procedure and the human engagement that goes into the conservation of the tortoises.

*Research activities including capture and handling of gopher tortoises is done under required state permits.

Follow alongside the researchers and students working to protect Florida’s native gopher tortoises at Boyd Hill Nature Preserve. Often overlooked, the gopher tortoise is a keystone species that digs burrows to provide shelter for more than 350 other species. But despite their ecological importance...

05/08/2026

In honor of Sir David Attenborough’s 100th birthday today! 🎉🎂🐢💯

55K likes, 3.4K comments. "Attenborough: The Wonders of Tortoise Tunnel | BBC"

05/07/2026

🐢🎬 Come out for the premiere of 'Burrowed' this Friday, May 8th at 7 PM at the Eckerd College’s Film & Video Festival!

This film by Elizabeth Kibbey follows Eckerd Professor Jeff Goessling PhD and his student researchers as they study the population of gopher tortoises that live at Boyd Hill Nature Preserve.

05/07/2026

Save the date for the 48th Annual Meeting of the Gopher Tortoise Council!

November 5-November 8th, 2026
Gulf Shores State Park, Gulf Shores, AL

The meeting will be held Friday and Saturday with field trip options for Sunday. Registration, lodging and more details to follow!

05/04/2026

What a neat exhibit and partnership!! 🐢🐢💚💚

04/28/2026

Fun event on the Conechuh National Forest in Alabama this Friday!

Join Us for the 2026 Eastern Indigo Snake & Wildlife Festival — a free, family‑friendly celebration of wildlife, conservation and the incredible outdoor experiences Conecuh has to offer.

Come learn about the Eastern Indigo Snake, meet the partners working to restore this iconic species and explore how habitat management keeps our forests healthy for all who depend on them.

💡 Fun fact: The Eastern indigo snake is the longest native snake in North America — and it’s completely nonvenomous.

Bring your curiosity, your love of the outdoors and your sense of adventure. We can’t wait to see you there.

Alabama Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division, The Longleaf Alliance, Alabama Forestry Commission, Alabama Forestry Association, Alabama Extension, Auburn University College of Forestry, Wildlife and Environment, Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens, Quail Forever in Alabama, Natural Resources Conservation Service of Alabama, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service of Alabama, Turtle Point Science Center

04/22/2026

If you have any info regarding the people who did this hellacious act, please report it to FWC’s Wildlife Alert!

Florida wildlife officials are searching for two teenagers accused of spraying expanding foam insulation into the mouth of a protected gopher tortoise in the DeLand area.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is investigating the case as possible animal cruelty. Witnesses told authorities they saw the juveniles deliberately spray the substance on the tortoise’s head, neck and into its throat near Glenwood Hammock Road, officials said.

The animal was found in distress and rushed to the Marine Science Center in Ponce Inlet. Staff there spent several days carefully removing the expanding foam and monitoring the tortoise before releasing it back into the wild, the center reported.

Officials called the tortoise’s full recovery fortunate. In similar cases, the material can block an animal’s ability to eat or cause lasting internal damage that proves fatal, they said.

Gopher tortoises are listed as a protected species in Florida. The burrows they dig provide shelter for hundreds of other animals, making them an important part of the state’s ecosystem.

The FWC did not release the exact date of the incident or any descriptions of the teenagers beyond saying they are juveniles. The agency is asking anyone with information to come forward.

The case comes as wildlife officials continue to stress the importance of protecting the state’s native species from intentional harm.

04/22/2026

Gopher tortoises don’t just live in Florida…
they shape it.

Their burrows provide shelter for hundreds of other species—
but they rely on native plants to survive.

When native habitat disappears, so do they.

Planting native isn’t just about your yard—
it’s about protecting the wildlife that depends on it.

Native plants = food + shelter
Healthy habitat = thriving wildlife