Gopher tortoises are a threatened species in florida. This is mainly because their habitats have been destroyed by humans, developing on or near their land. They dig long deep tunnels, underground called burrows where they live and also provide a home to as many as 360 other species, including snakes, frogs and mice. This makes them a keystone species.

A keystone species is one that provides something essential for other species to survive like a home or in the case of the american alligator, a watering hole that can hold water during the dry or winter months. The adult gopher tortoise averages, 10 inches long and lives up to 40 to 60 years, and ancestors of these ancient reptiles have been around for 60 million years.