Across Florida’s Suncoast, a slow-moving tortoise can make a remarkably large difference.

The gopher tortoise lives in dry, sandy uplands, including pine flatwoods, pastures, open lots and some residential yards.

It may look like a quiet neighbor passing through, but its underground burrow is one of the region’s most important small-scale habitats.

In Florida, the gopher tortoise is listed as a state-designated threatened species.

It is the only tortoise native to the eastern United States, and it occurs in all 67 Florida counties.

Its defining feature is the burrow: a sandy tunnel that can average about 15 feet long and 6.5 feet deep.

Those tunnels offer a stable refuge from heat, cold, drought, fire and predators.

They also help make the tortoise a keystone species, meaning its presence supports a much larger community of wildlife.

More than 350 other species are known to use gopher tortoise burrows for shelter, including gopher frogs, indigo snakes, rabbits, insects and, in some habitats, burrowing owls.

That is why a tortoise-sized opening in the sand should never be treated as an empty hole.

For Suncoast residents, the practical message is simple: if a healthy tortoise is moving through a yard or resting near its burrow, leave it where it is.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission advises residents not to move or handle a wild gopher tortoise unless it faces immediate danger and qualified guidance has been obtained.

Both the tortoise and its burrow are protected under Florida law.

Before development or land clearing can disturb a tortoise or burrow, a permit and approved relocation process are required.

Residents can help by watching for tortoises near driveways, landscaping areas and construction sites, especially where there are dry soils and open vegetation.

A photograph from a respectful distance can help document a sighting.

Florida wildlife can feel ordinary because it is so close to home.

The gopher tortoise is a reminder that an ordinary-looking patch of sand may hold an entire hidden neighborhood.

Have you seen a gopher tortoise or burrow in your Suncoast neighborhood? Learn how to report the sighting and help keep this native species wild.