Gopher tortoise

Gopher tortoise
	Gopher tortoise at Lake June in Winter Scrub State Park in Highlands County, Florida, U.S.
Conservation status
	; Vulnerable (IUCN 2.3)
	CITES Appendix II (CITES)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Testudines
Suborder:	Cryptodira
Superfamily:	Testudinoidea
Family:	Testudinidae
Genus:	Gopherus
Species:	G. polyphemus
Binomial name
	Gopherus polyphemus; Daudin, 1802
Synonyms
	Testudo polyphaemus ; Bartram, 1791 ; (nomen nudum); Testudo polyphemus ; Daudin, 1801; Emys polyphemus ; — Schweigger, 1812; Testudo depressa ; Cuvier in Guérin-Méneville, 1829; Gopherus polyphemus ; — Rafinesque, 1832; Testudo gopher ; Gray, 1844; Xerobates gopher ; — Gray, 1873; Xerobates polyphemus ; — True, 1881; Gopherus praecedens ; O.P. Hay, 1916; Gopherus polyphemus polyphemus ; — Mertens & Wermuth, 1955;

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. Habitat degradation is the primary reason that the gopher tortoise is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, but they are considered threatened in some states while they are endangered in others.

The gopher tortoise is a representative of 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.

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