On this day in 1989, Georgia decreed the Gopher tortoise as its official state reptile. GeorgiaInfo provides links to learn more about our burrowing friend, as well as the text of House Bill No. 531 which amended Code Section 50-3-63 of the Official Code of Georgia. You can view the official state government page for the Gopher tortoise here. And if you are inspired by the majestic photo of our slow-footed honoree, and wish to learn to more, you can visit the (yes, this is real) Gopher Tortoise Council.
WHEREAS, the gopher tortoise (gopherus polyphemus) belongs to a group of land tortoises that originated in North America 60 million years ago, thus making it one of the oldest living species native to Georgia; and
WHEREAS, the gopher tortoise population is scattered throughout the southeastern United States, with most being found in southern Georgia and north central Florida; and
WHEREAS, the gopher tortoise benefits the ecology by digging burrows up to 40 feet long and 10 feet deep which provides year-round shelter from predators and weather for more than three dozen other animal species, including some threatened species; and
WHEREAS, recent studies indicate that the gopher tortoise population is in decline due to mankind’s activities, and that by the year 2000 the gopher tortoise may not exist outside of protected areas; and
WHEREAS, this ancient and ecologically beneficial reptile is deserving of the attention and appreciation of the citizens of this state by designation as the official state reptile.