Name: Wildlife Wonderings -- The Texas Tortoise
Start: 2026-04-01T12:00:00-05:00
End: 2026-04-01T13:00:00-05:00
Location: 20634 Kenswick Dr, Humble, TX, United States, Texas 77338

Wildlife Wonderings -- The Texas Tortoise

Wildlife Wonderings -- Texas Tortoise
Wildlife Wednesday on April 1 at Jesse Jones Park, we have some reptilian special guests -- a pair of Texas Tortoises. A popular terrestrial chelonian that can be found in Texas, the Texas Tortoise (Gopherus berlandieri) is also known as Berlandier's Tortoise. The specific epithet, berlandieri, is in honor of naturalist Jean Louis Berlandier, who worked for the Mexican government on one of the first biological surveys of Texas.
Many people consider it to be one of the most interesting reptiles found in Texas. It is found from southern Texas southward into the Mexican states of Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas.
A low reproductive rate, historic heavy exploitation by pet suppliers, and other factors have led to a severe population decline of the species. This has resulted in its being listed in 1977 as a protected nongame (threatened) species, thus affording protection from being taken, possessed, transported, exported, sold, or offered for sale.
Unlike other species of Gopher Tortoise, the Texas Tortoise is not an adept burrower. Its preferred habitat is dry scrub and grasslands since succulent plants, a preferred food of the Texas Tortoise, are common in these areas. It especially likes the fruit of cacti such as the prickly pear.
The Texas Tortoise has yellowish-orange "horned" scutes (plates) on its shell and cylindrical and columnar hind legs, like those of an elephant. About 1.5 inches long (and wide) at hatching, this turtle will normally grow to have a shell length of about 8.5 inches.
These very docile creatures are primarily vegetarian, although captive specimens have been known to occasionally eat meat. They feed heavily on the fruit of the common prickly pear and on other mostly succulent plants available to them. Although the life span is unknown, it is thought by some that breeding age is attained in about 15 years and that longevity may be as great as 60 years.
To learn more about these interesting creatures, tortoise enthusiasts of all ages are invited to come meet our Chelonian friends in person at 12 p.m. on Wednesday, April 1, in the Nature Center.