Hey guys, this big fella just stumbled into my yard so I hung out with him for a little then he went on his way, what kind was he?

I don't know, but sure wish a tort would pass through my yard.

Its definitely a gopherus species. Can you tell us where you are located at?

In central Florida.

(10-12-2012 01:04 PM)wellington Wrote:  I don't know, but sure wish a tort would pass through my yard.

You and me both... especially one like this guy.

Yeah if I had a fenced in area I woulda loved to keep him.

Its a gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) and they are protected. Good thing you didn't interfere with him. How lucky you are to live where they roam naturally!

(10-12-2012 01:26 PM)emysemys Wrote:  Its a gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) and they are protected. Good thing you didn't interfere with him. How lucky you are to live where they roam naturally!

Ohhh wows. That's actually the first time i've seen one around here. He was just walking up my driveway hehe.

Neat looking...

(10-12-2012 01:03 PM)TwoSixSided Wrote:  Hey guys, this big fella just stumbled into my yard so I hung out with him for a little then he went on his way, what kind was he?

Hi,
Definitely a gopher tortoise, the are protected by the state so you can't catch/keep/harass etc. but they are really fun to watch. Kind of like having a wild mini-sulcata living nearby. Watch where he goes next time you see him and you can likely find his burrow. As a kid I'd watch these things for hours. The ones in the woods where I used to live usually didn't travel much further than 500' from their tunnel entrance. On a side note they often share the burrow with eastern diamondback rattlesnakes, so if you see kids sticking their arm up in there you'd want to warn them.
Enjoy.
--Jeff

They are actually federally protected throughout their range.