gopher
2
8.9
- noun
- /ˈɡoʊfər/
- US
:
tortuga excavadora
- The gopher tortoise digs extensive burrows that provide shelter for many other species.
- gopher tortoise
Examples
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Endangered gopher tortoises burrow amid opuntia cactus, longleaf pine, yuccas, and bushes of sparkleberry.
Academic text (1990) -
Aresco has been directing Nokuse's gopher tortoise rescue effort, which is the largest in the state, involving about 1,500 gopher tortoises.
Academic text (2008) -
Some of the state and federally listed rare species found there are the gopher tortoise, pine snake, and Cooley's meadow rue.
Academic text (2008) -
The aim, Aresco says, is "to save gopher tortoises from development and reestablish gopher tortoise populations on land where they were historically overharvested by humans."
Academic text (2008) -
In southeastern North America, the gopher tortoise is a vital part of the ecosystem, often sharing its burrows.
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Conservation efforts are important to protect the gopher tortoise, which is facing habitat loss.
Synonyms
A large land tortoise that lives in burrows in the southeastern United States
A large land turtle that digs deep burrows in the south of the United States
A burrowing land tortoise from the southeastern United States that makes large burrows and shelters other animals
Compounds
- US
1
7.0
A large North American snake that is not venomous and lives in burrows eating rodents
A small burrowing animal like a mouse that has fur-lined cheek pouches and makes dirt mounds
A small animal that lives underground in grasslands and carries food in pockets in its cheeks
A small animal that lives underground and digs tunnels in Alabama, Georgia, and Florida
A small burrowing rodent that lives in western United States valleys and meadows with fur-lined cheek pouches
Surface Forms
Etymology
Gopher for the burrowing tortoise comes from the same idea of digging and making underground homes. People called the tortoise a gopher because it digs long burrows, so the name directly links to its habit of living in tunnels.