Hobbies And Interests
Turtles
The gopher tortoise is one of the oldest living species. Its ancestors originated in North America over 60 million years ago. It reaches sexual maturity between 12 and 15 years of age, at which time its shell is roughly 9 inches in length. At its longest, the gopher tortoise is a foot long and 29 lbs. When it is found in dry climates, it lives in large burrows dug into the ground, a rare trait among tortoises. The gopher tortoise is an exclusive herbivore, gazing primarily on grasses. Its front legs are flat, gray and shovel-like, while its back legs resemble those of an elephant.
Wood-Borers
The red-cockaded woodpecker stands 8.5 inches tall, and has a black and white barred back. It has a black cap and nape that bound its distinctive white cheek patches. The male has a tiny red streak on each side of its black cap, giving the species its name. The red-cockaded woodpecker excavates cavities only in live pine trees. It prefers mature longleaf pines that have been affected by red heart rot fungus, making them easy to excavate. It painstakingly maintains the sap flow in these live trees to deter predators from entering its cavity cluster. While this adaptation was valuable in the past, the decrease in longleaf pine forests has dramatically affected the red-cockaded woodpecker's ability to nest and breed.
Waterfowl
Wood storks are white-plumed water birds that weigh from 7 to 10 lbs. and stand between 2 and 4 feet in height. Their wingspans are nearly 6 feet from tip to tip, making them excellent gliders. Wood storks are bald on their necks and heads, displaying their black skin, making them easy to identify. They are remarkably quiet birds, as they have no muscle insertions in their larynxes, limiting their vocalization to quiet hissing and croaking. They have curved beaks that are used for scooping up fish, and long, skinny legs. Wood storks are able to urinate on their legs to take advantage of evaporative cooling, much like humans sweat. Wood storks are North America's only native stork.
Snakes
The beautiful indigo snake is the largest native North American snake. It is entirely nonvenomous, instead strangling or beating its prey to death against hard objects. It predominantly eat lizards, turtles, frogs, small birds, toads and small mammals. The indigo snake is immune to rattlesnake venom, and has been known to include them in its diet, as well. These snakes have been suffering from the declining population of the endangered gopher tortoise, as they live almost exclusively in this species's deep burrows over the cold winter months.