VIDEO: Florida Mice Take Over Gopher Tortoise Burrow
By Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission // February 24, 2015
Gopher tortoises have plenty of roommates
ABOVE VIDEO: When biologists inserted a camera into a gopher tortoise burrow, this is what they saw – a family of Florida mice.
MyFWC.com – When Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission biologists inserted a camera into a gopher tortoise burrow, they saw a family of Florida mice.
The mice weren’t trespassing.
Gopher tortoises have plenty of roommates because they are a keystone species.
More than 350 other types of animals share the nicely dug burrows.
The burrows have fairly constant temperatures and humidity, plus they provide protection from fire and bad weather.
The Florida mouse is found only in peninsular Florida, where it lives in dry, upland habitats.
In addition to Florida mice, gopher frogs, snakes, insects and plenty of other animals are also gopher tortoise “roommates.”
