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Gopher tortoise
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<p>The gopher tortoise (<i>Gopherus polyphemus</i>) is a <a href="/facts/Species/oDg6b96r">species</a> of <a href="/facts/Tortoise/XWKByUCz">tortoise</a> in the <a href="/facts/Family_(biology)/qTrn6E8E">family</a> <a href="/facts/Testudinidae/XWKByUCz">Testudinidae</a>. The species is native to the <a href="/facts/Southeastern_United_States/jlyYnNvo">southeastern United States</a>. The gopher tortoise is seen as a <a href="/facts/Keystone_species/JE5sSY3X">keystone species</a> because it digs burrows that provide shelter for at least 360 other animal species. <i>G. polyphemus</i> is threatened by predation and <a href="/facts/Habitat_destruction/pyPMkBCY">habitat destruction</a>. 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. </p><p>The gopher tortoise is a representative of the genus <i><a href="/facts/Gopherus/afm4uEYX">Gopherus</a></i>, which contains the only <a href="/facts/Tortoise/XWKByUCz">tortoises</a> native to <a href="/facts/North_America/djNjCQIl">North America</a>. The gopher tortoise is the <a href="/facts/State_reptile/G3bwqxjI">state reptile</a> of <a href="/facts/Georgia_(U.S._state)/KKnTDY6F">Georgia</a> and the state tortoise of <a href="/facts/Florida/cF245A3Q">Florida</a>. </p>