Tortoise, Terrapin, Turtle

Hearing "gopher tortoise", you might imagine a furry head darting this way and that at the top of an upright shell, propped up by the beast's hind legs. Well, no. The gopher tortoise is so named not because it looks like a gopher, but because it burrows like a gopher. A single Gopherus polyphemus will have several burrows, up to 40 feet long and 10 feet deep! Since more than 360 other species use its burrows for protective shelter, the gopher tortoise has earned the designation of keystone species, since its demise would endanger the survival of 360 other critters.

Gopherus polyphemus

Hmmm, I wonder: What's the opposite of keystone species, i.e., a species whose departure from  the ecosystem would be considered a positive event? Whatever the category is called, I'd wager that human beings are high on the list.

Ever consider the difference between tortoise, terrapin, and turtle? Loosely speaking, they're cousins. More specifically, tortoises live on land and have feet while turtles have flippers, and terrapins are turtles that live in fresh or brackish waters. In other words: tortoises live inland, terrapins along the coast, and turtles in the sea. Now you know.

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