Gopherus

Gopherus is a genus of fossorial land tortoises, the gopher tortoises, comprising six living species that originated in North America roughly 60 million years ago, with their closest living relatives in the Asian genus Manouria. Gopher tortoises are named for their extensive burrowing; the burrows of Gopherus polyphemus can reach 40 feet in length and 10 feet in depth and are used by many other species of mammals, reptiles, amphibians and birds. The genus ranges across xeric habitats from California Mojave Desert to Florida and parts of northern Mexico, and populations have declined dramatically, with a 2018 IUCN assessment recommending two species be reclassified as critically endangered.