Status of the Gopher Tortoise in Everglades National Park
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Material Information

Title:
Status of the Gopher Tortoise in Everglades National Park Report T-669
Creator:
South Florida Natural Resources Center/South Florida Research Center, Everglades National Park
James A. Kushlan
Frank J. Mazzotti
Place of Publication:
Homestead
Florida
Publisher:
National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior
Publication Date:

Notes

Abstract:
The gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) is widely distributed along the southeastern coastal plain of North America. The core of its population is in southern Alabama and Georgia and in northern and central Florida, where it inhabits sandy, , xeric habitats, especially pine and beach scrub (Ernst and Barbour 1972). Population segments are scattered in southern Florida (Figure 1) where suitable habitat is confined t o t h e coasts. On the west coast, tortoises occupy high sandy islands as far south as Marco. On the east coast, they occur in sandy soil and sandy pockets in the limestone bedrock of the eastern coastal ridge as far south as Cutler (Auffenberg 1978). These southernmost population segments are now extinct, or nearly so, because of loss of habitat to development, and the tortoise is considered to be a threatened species in the state of Florida (Auffenberg 1978). The southernmost population of the species occupies the beach dunes of Cape Sable, the southwestern tip of the Florida peninsula (Figure I). Gopher tortoises on Cape Sable are notable because they are disjunct from current and historicallyoccurring populations further north. Despite this population being the only one remaining in extreme southern Florida, its status and characteristics are nearly unknown. The literature contains only a few brief comments noting its existence (Carr and Goin 1955, Auffenberg 1978) and no account of its habitat use or population structure. 'The purpose of the current study was to analyze the size, structure, and distribution of this isolated island population of gopher tortoises and to determine environmental factors affecting the characteristics of the population. ( English )
Issuing Body:
SuDoc number: I 29.95:T-669

Record Information

Source Institution:
Florida International University
Holding Location:
South Florida Natural Resource Center
Rights Management:
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