This photo of a checkered melon beetle was taken while hiking along a creek bed near Croton Springs within the park.
This gopher tortoise is listed as Threatened in Florida. The tortoise and the burrows they build are protected by law. Before land development or land clearing, property owners must obtain permits to capture and relocate these tortoises. Although gopher tortoise can be found in South Carolina, Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana, their populations are not considered safe.
I encountered these tortoises on Egmont Key, an island off the coast of St. Petersburg, Florida. What is the difference between a tortoise and a turtle? Tortoises are land creatures. Turtles are sea creatures. Tortoises do not spend much time in the water. This is evident in their body design. Tortoises do not have flippers like a sea turtle, rather they have appendages more suitable for walking on land. Note the armored scales in this photo. You can also tell a turtle from a tortoise by its shell shape. If it has a flat streamlined shell, it is likely a turtle. If it has a boxy shape it is likely a tortoise. Turtles are omnivorous, where as tortoises only eat plants. The overall sizes of some tortoises can get quite large. The largest is the Galapagos Giant Tortoise. It can weigh over 900 pounds and live over 150 years!
Egmont Key is a National Wildlife Refuge where ~1500 gopher tortoises roam a ~450-acre island. Because this island is visited by tourists, the tortoises are comfortable around people. The island has the remnants of Fort Dade, a military outpost built during the Spanish American War (1898). In fact, the island remained a military reservation until 1923.
The gopher tortoises walk around the old brick roads, which makes for a unique photo. There is a lighthouse on the island as well, which also makes for great photos. The nice part about Egmont Key is that it is open every day of the year from 8:00 AM until sunset.
Egmont Key is a National Wildlife Refuge where ~1500 gopher tortoises roam a ~450-acre island.
Did you know?
- Gopher tortoises grow to ~10” long, weigh in at around 12 pounds, and can live to ~70 years old.
- You can report a sick, injured, or dead gopher tortoise to Florida Wildlife Commission by calling 850-921-1030 (weekdays) and 888-404-3922 (after hours and weekends).
- The Spanish word “galapago” means “tortoise”. That is how the islands got their name.
- Egmont Key became a part of the United States in 1827, after going back and forth between the Spanish and English.
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