Gopher Tortoise

Gopher Tortoise is a terrestrial tortoise native to the sandy, well-drained soils of the southeastern United States and the only living tortoise species found east of the Mississippi River. It is considered a keystone species because the burrows it digs provide shelter for at least 360 other animal species, including the eastern indigo snake, and the IUCN lists it as critically endangered due to habitat fragmentation and loss.