Gopher tortoise Gopherus polyphemus Vulnerable
Where the gopher tortoise lives – recorded in 1 country, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.
Pin and shaded countries are approximate. The pin is a representative wild sighting (a central record among 2,034 open-licence GBIF records), not an official range. Method · Records on GBIF · See turtles & tortoises on the world map
| Scientific name | Gopherus polyphemus |
|---|---|
| Group | Turtles & tortoises |
| Status | Vulnerable (Wikidata, IUCN category label) |
| Found in | 1 country |
| Continents | North America |
| Class | Reptile |
| Order | Testudines |
| Family | Testudinidae |
Where does the gopher tortoise live?
Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the gopher tortoise in 1 country or territory across North America. Wikidata lists it as endemic to United States.
Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.
Is the gopher tortoise endangered?
The gopher tortoise’s conservation status recorded in Wikidata is “Vulnerable” (an IUCN Red List category label). Source: Wikidata.
What kind of animal is the gopher tortoise?
The gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) is a reptile in the order Testudines and the family Testudinidae, genus Gopherus. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)
About the gopher tortoise
The gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) is a species of tortoise in the family Testudinidae. The species is native to the Southeastern United States. The gopher tortoise is seen as a keystone species because it digs burrows that provide shelter for at least 360 other animal species. G. polyphemus is threatened by predation and habitat destruction. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species lists the gopher tortoise as "critically endangered," primarily because of habitat fragmentation and loss, and human exploitation; the animals are considered threatened in some states, while they are endangered in others.
The gopher tortoise is placed in the genus Gopherus, which contains the only tortoises native to North America. The gopher tortoise is the state reptile of Georgia and the state tortoise of Florida.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Gopher tortoise (revision 1376383197), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q914338 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).
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