Gopher Tortoise and Friends LbNA #68010
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Add Location| Owner: | Wisconsin Hiker  |
|---|---|
| Plant date: | Jan 2, 2015 |
| Location: | |
| City: | Ruskin |
| County: | Hillsborough |
| State: | Florida |
| Boxes: | 1 |
| Found by: | Angel Winks |
|---|---|
| Last found: | Feb 3, 2022 |
| Status: | OFF |
| Last edited: | May 14, 2016 |
Last found/checked: 10-JAN-16
Location: pmaC uoyaB, LIMITED HOURS: open Thursday through Saturday from 9 AM to 2 PM. (However we have parked on the road and walked in when gate is closed.)
Time: 30-45 minutes
Terrain: Level sandy trail
Park in the parking lot, passing a “Gopher Tortoise Crossing” sign on your way in.
Gopher tortoises can be found throughout the state of Florida but are considered a threatened species. They grow to be slightly less than one foot long and weigh about 29 pounds, though they have been found to be as big as 16 inches.
Find the Birding 101 Shelter north of the parking area. There is a trail kiosk on the west side of the shelter. From the kiosk, take the trail on the left, and then almost immediately take a right at the next “Y”.
Remember to watch for tortoises as you walk. We saw one on the side of the trail!
Gopher tortoises are so named because of their ability to dig large, deep burrows. The burrows are their homes and provide protection from predators and from extreme conditions on the surface such as drought, freezing weather and fires. The burrows can vary in length and depth. Burrows can be as short as 6-10 feet long, but they average around 30 feet in length and are 3-20 feet deep.
Go through an intersection and then at the next intersection follow the trail sign and take a left.
The gopher tortoise burrows also provide homes for other animals, such as frogs, mice, foxes, skunks, opossums, rabbits, quail, armadillos, burrowing owls, snakes, lizards and other invertebrates. It is believed that burrows have been home to about 250 species of animals at one time or another. Some species share the burrows with the tortoises and others use abandoned burrows.
Continue until you come to a “T” with another bench. From this intersection, take ~28 steps to the left. You should see a pine with a shrub companion on your right. The tortoise has made a home between the shrub and the trunk of the pine. Several friends have joined her in the burrow.
Please rehide her well so they all remain almost as safe as they would in a burrow.
Return to the bench and continue onward (east). At next intersection continue straight. Follow this main trail back to the parking area.
We live quite far from here, so would really appreciate an email to let us know how the gopher tortoise is faring. Thank you!
Hike length: 1 mile
Location: pmaC uoyaB, LIMITED HOURS: open Thursday through Saturday from 9 AM to 2 PM. (However we have parked on the road and walked in when gate is closed.)
Time: 30-45 minutes
Terrain: Level sandy trail
Park in the parking lot, passing a “Gopher Tortoise Crossing” sign on your way in.
Gopher tortoises can be found throughout the state of Florida but are considered a threatened species. They grow to be slightly less than one foot long and weigh about 29 pounds, though they have been found to be as big as 16 inches.
Find the Birding 101 Shelter north of the parking area. There is a trail kiosk on the west side of the shelter. From the kiosk, take the trail on the left, and then almost immediately take a right at the next “Y”.
Remember to watch for tortoises as you walk. We saw one on the side of the trail!
Gopher tortoises are so named because of their ability to dig large, deep burrows. The burrows are their homes and provide protection from predators and from extreme conditions on the surface such as drought, freezing weather and fires. The burrows can vary in length and depth. Burrows can be as short as 6-10 feet long, but they average around 30 feet in length and are 3-20 feet deep.
Go through an intersection and then at the next intersection follow the trail sign and take a left.
The gopher tortoise burrows also provide homes for other animals, such as frogs, mice, foxes, skunks, opossums, rabbits, quail, armadillos, burrowing owls, snakes, lizards and other invertebrates. It is believed that burrows have been home to about 250 species of animals at one time or another. Some species share the burrows with the tortoises and others use abandoned burrows.
Continue until you come to a “T” with another bench. From this intersection, take ~28 steps to the left. You should see a pine with a shrub companion on your right. The tortoise has made a home between the shrub and the trunk of the pine. Several friends have joined her in the burrow.
Please rehide her well so they all remain almost as safe as they would in a burrow.
Return to the bench and continue onward (east). At next intersection continue straight. Follow this main trail back to the parking area.
We live quite far from here, so would really appreciate an email to let us know how the gopher tortoise is faring. Thank you!
Hike length: 1 mile