Talk about a turtle of a tale.
A male gopher tortoise was admitted to the Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife last month that state officials believe could be bigger than the largest on record.
“The current record tortoise was documented near LaBelle in Hendry County in Florida in 2016,” said Kelly O’Connor, a gopher tortoise conservation biologist with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. “It weighed 14.5 kilograms and had a straight-line carapace — a tortoise’s upper shell — length of 42.7 centimeters.”
The tortoise admitted to CROW tipped the scales at 15.26 kilograms and measured 44 centimeters, according to veterinary staff. The tortoise was rescued in Koreshan State Park when rangers noticed it was acting lethargic.
“He is definitely the biggest one I have ever seen,” said Dr. Heather Barron, medical and research director at CROW, which admits 60-75 gopher tortoise patients each year, mostly due to encounters with vehicles. “His body condition is really poor right now, so he’s quite thin compared to a healthy tortoise. A healthy weight for him would be even higher.”
Although a tortoise’s size does not correlate directly to its age, Ms. Barron estimated the tortoise to be at least 50, possibly older. He was likely able to reach such a size, in part, due to the protected habitat where he resides within the state park. Gopher tortoises are listed as a threatened species in Florida, with habitat destruction and fragmentation being a factor that contributes to their vulnerability. ¦
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