Scrub Habitat

Photo by Steven Kintner     Gopher Tortoises are closely tied to dry habitats. It is the only land tortoise in Florida and is a threatened species. Their population has been in decline for the last forty years due to habitat loss. Gopher Tortoises dig their burrows to be up to fort feet deep and the width of the burrow is the length of their body. Active burrows are cared for and debris is cleared away daily. Their burrows are a sanctuary from predators and wildfires. They do not drink water but get water from the 400 species of plants that they eat and store water in their shell. Gopher tortoises live alone and only interact to mate. Male tortoise's have a battering ram called a gular to fight other males The hard armored belly is called a plastron. The male plastron is concaved to facilitate mating while the females is flat. Females lay 4-6 eggs at the apron of the burrow. The females do not care for the young after the eggs are laid. The eggs incubate for 90 days...

Photo by Steven Kintner The Florida Scrub Jay is a unique bird found only in Florida and not anywhere else in the world. They are federally listed as a threatened species due to habitat loss.  In Lyonia Preserve, thirty families that consist of approximately ninety birds. In the 1990's before restoration began no scrub-jays and only a few Gopher Tortoises lived in the area. At this time the preserve was not ideal Scrub Habitat, it was severely overgrown and did not allow species native to scrub habitat to reside there. Within a year of restoration scrub-jays began visiting Lyonia Preserve and by the second year they began nesting. The Florida Scrub Jay lives in family units ranging from 2-6 family members. There is a dominant male and female that breed and juveniles that stay with the family as helpers. In April and May scrub-jays begin building their nests. As June and July roll around, it is time to lay 2-5 eggs. Unlike most other birds, the Florida Scrub Jays are active te...