Attacking gopher tortoise!!! (not really)

Well, it sure seemed that way the other day when Connie and I came home to find one in the driveway. When I got out of the truck to take pictures and video, he (she?) just started marching in my direction like he meant business.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wr7yQYS777o

But apparently he just wasn't afraid of us much, and seemed to find comfort laying next to Connie's truck.

We followed him to his burrow, so hopefully we will see him around more often.

Nice sized specimen, Rich. Great video! I happen to like tortoises, and always wonder how old they are when I see one. Are there any downsides to having them live on your property, outside of the holes for their burrows?
Andy

navy2kcoupe said:

Nice sized specimen, Rich. Great video! I happen to like tortoises, and always wonder how old they are when I see one. Are there any downsides to having them live on your property, outside of the holes for their burrows?
Andy

Click to expand...

No down sides that I can think of. They are actually good for the environment because a whole lot of other critters will use the burrows for a bunch of reasons. In parts of Florida that suffers frequent fires, the tortoise burrows are often the only refuge for a lot of animals that would otherwise be trapped and killed by the flames.

Both Connie and I wouldn't mind at all if we had dozens of them around here. They are interesting critters, and about as harmless as an animal can get. Our biggest fear is that some people will actually catch and eat them. I sure wouldn't want to be THAT person if Connie caught them red handed. :dead: