Dozens of gopher tortoises survived a perilous sea crossing after being swept from their homes during Hurricane Helene last summer, and are enjoying a new lease of life on a remote stretch of Florida coastline.<\/p>\n
Rangers at Fort de Soto county park near St Petersburg say that before the September storm only eight of the vulnerable species were known to be living there.<\/p>\n
Now, after their astonishing journey, a count last month confirmed 84 active burrows, suggesting the tortoises quickly adapted to their new habitat after their enforced eviction from Egmont Key national wildlife refuge, a tiny island more than two miles west that was pummeled by the category 4 hurricane.<\/p>\n
As well as sparking a surge of interest in the park in the form of visitors keen to catch a glimpse of the unexpected new arrivals, the tortoises are also providing benefits for some of the animals that already lived in the 1,100-acre (445-hectare) environment.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re a keystone species, which means they share their burrows with other species, and there\u2019s been something like 250 different species recorded as living in gopher tortoise burrows,\u201d said Anna Yu, a Fort De Soto ranger who has assumed responsibility for the roving reptiles\u2019 wellbeing.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverybody in the ecosystem benefits from gopher tortoises being there, and we\u2019ll hopefully see an increase in biodiversity in the park. Because we have all these new burrows, other animals are able to use them, like eastern diamondback snakes, black racers, all kinds of different reptiles.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe last time a gopher frog was listed as being one of the species in the park was in 2016 so it\u2019s really cool to think that maybe some of these really imperiled species that rely on gopher tortoise burrows to survive might make their way back.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t expect to see frogs popping up everywhere, but there\u2019s certainly more of a chance than before this happened.\u201d<\/p>\n
Yu and her colleagues knew the tortoises had come across the water from Egmont Key because biologists from St Petersburg\u2019s Eckerd College, who were studying them, drilled small holes in their shells as identification markings.<\/p>\n
Tortoises are poor swimmers, and many would likely have drowned. At least 40 were discovered washed up dead. But the survivors, she said, would have floated and been carried on the surface as Helene\u2019s winds whipped the water surging towards the beaches of the mainland.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe whole event was just sheer luck that they ended up at Fort De Soto and not out at sea, or at some of the other beaches north of St Pete Beach and Treasure Island, really popular beaches that don\u2019t have the habitat to support these creatures,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt could have turned out a lot differently for them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Their behaviors since washing ashore have also fascinated observers. Some of the tortoises, presumably traumatized by their hazardous odyssey, burrowed deep into higher elevations. The majority of the burrows, Yu said, were dug beyond Helen\u2019s storm surge line.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s like they knew exactly where to go, they went a little bit higher in hopes of not being drowned out by another storm. There\u2019s a little bit of intelligence there,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Even more exciting are the mating behaviors some of the tortoises have exhibited, suggesting a new generation of gopher tortoises will soon be plodding around.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a sign they\u2019re thriving. Being able to mate is a sign of success,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe main point in all this is that we want to make sure Fort De Soto is, above all, a wild place and home to an abundance of wildlife that depends on the people that come through, depends on their respect and all of our collective stewardship of their habitat to survive.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think this is a really ecologically important event. It\u2019s a feel good story too, of course, but it\u2019s also very critically important environmentally.\u201d<\/p>\n
This article<\/a> by Richard Luscombe was first published by The Guardian on 7 April 2025. Lead Image: A gopher tortoise in Florida. Photograph: AP.<\/i><\/p>\n Wildlife continues to face threats, which include hunting, poaching, illegal trade in animal products, habitat loss as well as a rapidly changing climate.<\/p>\n Become a Wildlife Champion by supporting our conservation partners<\/a> with a monthly donation as little as $1.<\/p>\nWhat you can do<\/h2>\n