Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Boasting more than 80 distinct ecosystems, Florida is a biodiversity hot spot. In fact, more than 4,000 animal species are native ...

The fate of the gopher tortoise, Georgia’s state reptile and the only land tortoise in the eastern U.S., has worried conservationists for decades. Habitat loss and other factors have pushed ...

ATLANTA (CN) — The eastern population of the gopher tortoise is not in danger of extinction and does not require federal protection, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced Tuesday in a decision ...

Not all turtles can swim, wildlife authorities in Florida had to remind everyone recently after receiving reports of at least three people trying to release tortoises into the ocean after mistaking ...

A rescued gopher tortoise arrived at the Nokuse Nature Preserve in Florida's Panhandle while my sister Erica and I were there. It didn't know how lucky it was. Across Florida, builders are required to ...

JEKYLL ISLAND, GA (WTOC) - The Gopher tortoise is the Georgia state reptile but it's facing extinction. But with the help of veterinarians from across the state, one park manager is hoping to bring ...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.— The Center for Biological Diversity and Nokuse Education, Inc. sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today for denying Endangered Species Act protections to gopher tortoises ...

Foresters take their responsibility to guard protected species seriously. When it comes to the gopher tortoise, a keystone species whose burrow provides shelter to more than 300 other types of forest ...

A rescued gopher tortoise arrived at the Nokuse Nature Preserve in Florida’s Panhandle while my sister Erica and I were there. It didn’t know how lucky it was. Across Florida, builders are required to ...

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 ...

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 ...