BACK COUNTRY BY ROBERT ADAMS
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ROBERT ADAMS
gopher tortoise walks on sandy pine land and palmetto palms. This is their favorite
habitat. It is considered a keystone species because it digs burrows that provide shelter for
at least 360 other animal species, including diamondback rattlesnakes. Today, the greatest
threat to the survival of the gopher tortoise is habitat destruction. Tortoises cannot live if they
do not have undeveloped land with plenty of food and room to dig their burrows. Another
less obvious threat that is related to development is land fragmentation. Gopher tortoises are
herbivore scavengers. Their diet contains more than 300 species of plants. A