{"id":7026,"date":"2021-05-14T09:32:57","date_gmt":"2021-05-14T13:32:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.eckerd.edu\/news\/?p=7026"},"modified":"2025-07-31T09:29:47","modified_gmt":"2025-07-31T13:29:47","slug":"baby-gopher-tortoises-eckerd-college","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.eckerd.edu\/news\/blog\/baby-gopher-tortoises-eckerd-college\/","title":{"rendered":"Baby gopher tortoises enter Eckerd College \u2018head start\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"[vc_row type=&#8221;in_container&#8221; full_screen_row_position=&#8221;middle&#8221; column_margin=&#8221;default&#8221; column_direction=&#8221;default&#8221; column_direction_tablet=&#8221;default&#8221; column_direction_phone=&#8221;default&#8221; scene_position=&#8221;center&#8221; text_color=&#8221;dark&#8221; text_align=&#8221;left&#8221; row_border_radius=&#8221;none&#8221; row_border_radius_applies=&#8221;bg&#8221; overlay_strength=&#8221;0.3&#8243; gradient_direction=&#8221;left_to_right&#8221; shape_divider_position=&#8221;bottom&#8221; bg_image_animation=&#8221;none&#8221;][vc_column column_padding=&#8221;no-extra-padding&#8221; column_padding_tablet=&#8221;inherit&#8221; column_padding_phone=&#8221;inherit&#8221; column_padding_position=&#8221;all&#8221; background_color_opacity=&#8221;1&#8243; background_hover_color_opacity=&#8221;1&#8243; column_shadow=&#8221;none&#8221; column_border_radius=&#8221;none&#8221; column_link_target=&#8221;_self&#8221; gradient_direction=&#8221;left_to_right&#8221; overlay_strength=&#8221;0.3&#8243; width=&#8221;1\/1&#8243; tablet_width_inherit=&#8221;default&#8221; tablet_text_alignment=&#8221;default&#8221; phone_text_alignment=&#8221;default&#8221; column_border_width=&#8221;none&#8221; column_border_style=&#8221;solid&#8221; bg_image_animation=&#8221;none&#8221;] [image_with_animation image_url=&#8221;7027&#8243; animation=&#8221;Fade In&#8221; hover_animation=&#8221;none&#8221; alignment=&#8221;&#8221; border_radius=&#8221;none&#8221; box_shadow=&#8221;none&#8221; image_loading=&#8221;default&#8221; max_width=&#8221;100%&#8221; max_width_mobile=&#8221;default&#8221;][vc_column_text]<em>Thirty-seven gopher tortoises like these little ones have been entrusted to Professor Goessling and his student researchers. Photo: Celina Ceballos &#8217;21<\/em>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row type=&#8221;full_width_content&#8221; full_screen_row_position=&#8221;middle&#8221; column_margin=&#8221;default&#8221; column_direction=&#8221;default&#8221; column_direction_tablet=&#8221;default&#8221; column_direction_phone=&#8221;default&#8221; scene_position=&#8221;center&#8221; text_color=&#8221;dark&#8221; text_align=&#8221;left&#8221; row_border_radius=&#8221;none&#8221; row_border_radius_applies=&#8221;bg&#8221; overlay_strength=&#8221;0.3&#8243; gradient_direction=&#8221;left_to_right&#8221; shape_divider_position=&#8221;bottom&#8221; bg_image_animation=&#8221;none&#8221; shape_type=&#8221;&#8221;][vc_column column_padding=&#8221;no-extra-padding&#8221; column_padding_tablet=&#8221;inherit&#8221; column_padding_phone=&#8221;inherit&#8221; column_padding_position=&#8221;right&#8221; background_color_opacity=&#8221;1&#8243; background_hover_color_opacity=&#8221;1&#8243; column_shadow=&#8221;none&#8221; column_border_radius=&#8221;none&#8221; column_link_target=&#8221;_self&#8221; gradient_direction=&#8221;left_to_right&#8221; overlay_strength=&#8221;0.3&#8243; width=&#8221;1\/1&#8243; tablet_width_inherit=&#8221;default&#8221; tablet_text_alignment=&#8221;default&#8221; phone_text_alignment=&#8221;default&#8221; column_border_width=&#8221;none&#8221; column_border_style=&#8221;solid&#8221; bg_image_animation=&#8221;none&#8221;][vc_column_text]\n<h3>Chomper, a baby gopher tortoise the size of a large orange, spends its days really putting away the lettuce, kale and cabbage in the Eckerd College greenhouse.<\/h3>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row type=&#8221;full_width_content&#8221; full_screen_row_position=&#8221;middle&#8221; column_margin=&#8221;default&#8221; column_direction=&#8221;default&#8221; column_direction_tablet=&#8221;default&#8221; column_direction_phone=&#8221;default&#8221; scene_position=&#8221;center&#8221; top_padding=&#8221;32&#8243; text_color=&#8221;dark&#8221; text_align=&#8221;left&#8221; row_border_radius=&#8221;none&#8221; row_border_radius_applies=&#8221;bg&#8221; overlay_strength=&#8221;0.3&#8243; gradient_direction=&#8221;left_to_right&#8221; shape_divider_position=&#8221;bottom&#8221; bg_image_animation=&#8221;none&#8221; shape_type=&#8221;&#8221;][vc_column column_padding=&#8221;padding-2-percent&#8221; column_padding_tablet=&#8221;inherit&#8221; column_padding_phone=&#8221;inherit&#8221; column_padding_position=&#8221;right&#8221; background_color_opacity=&#8221;1&#8243; background_hover_color_opacity=&#8221;1&#8243; column_shadow=&#8221;none&#8221; column_border_radius=&#8221;none&#8221; column_link_target=&#8221;_self&#8221; gradient_direction=&#8221;left_to_right&#8221; overlay_strength=&#8221;0.3&#8243; width=&#8221;1\/1&#8243; tablet_width_inherit=&#8221;default&#8221; tablet_text_alignment=&#8221;default&#8221; phone_text_alignment=&#8221;default&#8221; column_border_width=&#8221;none&#8221; column_border_style=&#8221;solid&#8221; bg_image_animation=&#8221;none&#8221;][vc_column_text]\u201cIt was the first one hatched, and it\u2019s the biggest,\u201d said <a href=\"\/biology\/faculty\/goessling\/\">Assistant Professor of Biology Jeff Goessling, Ph.D.<\/a> \u201cWe named it Chomper because it just eats and eats.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The tiny grazing machine is one of 37 gopher tortoises entrusted to Goessling and his student researchers for a head-starting program in conjunction with the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.outdooralabama.com\/\">Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources<\/a>. Surviving to maturity is a challenge for gopher tortoises, who can grow to be about 15 inches long, because the eggs are food sources for predators and it takes them years to reach a size where they aren\u2019t easy prey, he explained.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row type=&#8221;full_width_content&#8221; full_screen_row_position=&#8221;middle&#8221; column_margin=&#8221;default&#8221; column_direction=&#8221;default&#8221; column_direction_tablet=&#8221;default&#8221; column_direction_phone=&#8221;default&#8221; scene_position=&#8221;center&#8221; top_padding=&#8221;32&#8243; text_color=&#8221;dark&#8221; text_align=&#8221;left&#8221; row_border_radius=&#8221;none&#8221; row_border_radius_applies=&#8221;bg&#8221; overlay_strength=&#8221;0.3&#8243; gradient_direction=&#8221;left_to_right&#8221; shape_divider_position=&#8221;bottom&#8221; bg_image_animation=&#8221;none&#8221; shape_type=&#8221;&#8221;][vc_column column_padding=&#8221;padding-2-percent&#8221; column_padding_tablet=&#8221;inherit&#8221; column_padding_phone=&#8221;inherit&#8221; column_padding_position=&#8221;all&#8221; background_color_opacity=&#8221;1&#8243; background_hover_color_opacity=&#8221;1&#8243; column_shadow=&#8221;none&#8221; column_border_radius=&#8221;none&#8221; column_link_target=&#8221;_self&#8221; el_class=&#8221;lg_text&#8221; gradient_direction=&#8221;left_to_right&#8221; overlay_strength=&#8221;0.3&#8243; width=&#8221;1\/1&#8243; tablet_width_inherit=&#8221;default&#8221; tablet_text_alignment=&#8221;default&#8221; phone_text_alignment=&#8221;default&#8221; column_border_width=&#8221;none&#8221; column_border_style=&#8221;solid&#8221; bg_image_animation=&#8221;none&#8221;][vc_column_text]<span class=\"accent-color\">\u201cThis [Alabama] population is so spread out and dwindling that it could be gone in a blink,\u201d Goessling said. \u201cI prefer habitat interventions, but I understand something more drastic was needed to protect this group of animals.\u201d<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row type=&#8221;full_width_content&#8221; full_screen_row_position=&#8221;middle&#8221; column_margin=&#8221;default&#8221; column_direction=&#8221;default&#8221; column_direction_tablet=&#8221;default&#8221; column_direction_phone=&#8221;default&#8221; scene_position=&#8221;center&#8221; top_padding=&#8221;32&#8243; text_color=&#8221;dark&#8221; text_align=&#8221;left&#8221; row_border_radius=&#8221;none&#8221; row_border_radius_applies=&#8221;bg&#8221; overlay_strength=&#8221;0.3&#8243; gradient_direction=&#8221;left_to_right&#8221; shape_divider_position=&#8221;bottom&#8221; bg_image_animation=&#8221;none&#8221; shape_type=&#8221;&#8221;][vc_column column_padding=&#8221;padding-2-percent&#8221; column_padding_tablet=&#8221;inherit&#8221; column_padding_phone=&#8221;inherit&#8221; column_padding_position=&#8221;right&#8221; background_color_opacity=&#8221;1&#8243; background_hover_color_opacity=&#8221;1&#8243; column_shadow=&#8221;none&#8221; column_border_radius=&#8221;none&#8221; column_link_target=&#8221;_self&#8221; gradient_direction=&#8221;left_to_right&#8221; overlay_strength=&#8221;0.3&#8243; width=&#8221;1\/1&#8243; tablet_width_inherit=&#8221;default&#8221; tablet_text_alignment=&#8221;default&#8221; phone_text_alignment=&#8221;default&#8221; column_border_width=&#8221;none&#8221; column_border_style=&#8221;solid&#8221; bg_image_animation=&#8221;none&#8221;][vc_column_text]Eggs from Alabama burrows documented during summer 2020 were harvested two weeks before hatching and transported into an incubator prior to coming to Eckerd College in the Fall Semester. A team of students helped Goessling feed and care for the gopher tortoise hatchlings, and also collect data about their development such as growth. Now they live in the College greenhouse in dirt-filled tubs with makeshift burrows until they are big enough to be released into their native habitat.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row type=&#8221;full_width_content&#8221; full_screen_row_position=&#8221;middle&#8221; column_margin=&#8221;default&#8221; column_direction=&#8221;default&#8221; column_direction_tablet=&#8221;default&#8221; column_direction_phone=&#8221;default&#8221; scene_position=&#8221;center&#8221; top_padding=&#8221;32&#8243; text_color=&#8221;dark&#8221; text_align=&#8221;left&#8221; row_border_radius=&#8221;none&#8221; row_border_radius_applies=&#8221;bg&#8221; overlay_strength=&#8221;0.3&#8243; gradient_direction=&#8221;left_to_right&#8221; shape_divider_position=&#8221;bottom&#8221; bg_image_animation=&#8221;none&#8221; shape_type=&#8221;&#8221;][vc_column column_padding=&#8221;padding-2-percent&#8221; column_padding_tablet=&#8221;inherit&#8221; column_padding_phone=&#8221;inherit&#8221; column_padding_position=&#8221;right&#8221; background_color_opacity=&#8221;1&#8243; background_hover_color_opacity=&#8221;1&#8243; column_shadow=&#8221;none&#8221; column_border_radius=&#8221;none&#8221; column_link_target=&#8221;_self&#8221; gradient_direction=&#8221;left_to_right&#8221; overlay_strength=&#8221;0.3&#8243; width=&#8221;1\/1&#8243; tablet_width_inherit=&#8221;default&#8221; tablet_text_alignment=&#8221;default&#8221; phone_text_alignment=&#8221;default&#8221; column_border_width=&#8221;none&#8221; column_border_style=&#8221;solid&#8221; bg_image_animation=&#8221;none&#8221;][vc_gallery type=&#8221;flexslider_style&#8221; images=&#8221;7031,7030,7029&#8243; onclick=&#8221;link_no&#8221; img_size=&#8221;800&#215;600&#8243;][vc_column_text]<em>Sophomore Sean Jacobson measures and tends gopher tortoises in the Eckerd College greenhouse.<br \/>\nPhotos: Celina Ceballos &#8217;21<\/em>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row type=&#8221;full_width_content&#8221; full_screen_row_position=&#8221;middle&#8221; column_margin=&#8221;default&#8221; column_direction=&#8221;default&#8221; column_direction_tablet=&#8221;default&#8221; column_direction_phone=&#8221;default&#8221; scene_position=&#8221;center&#8221; top_padding=&#8221;48&#8243; text_color=&#8221;dark&#8221; text_align=&#8221;left&#8221; row_border_radius=&#8221;none&#8221; row_border_radius_applies=&#8221;bg&#8221; overlay_strength=&#8221;0.3&#8243; gradient_direction=&#8221;left_to_right&#8221; shape_divider_position=&#8221;bottom&#8221; bg_image_animation=&#8221;none&#8221; shape_type=&#8221;&#8221;][vc_column column_padding=&#8221;padding-2-percent&#8221; column_padding_tablet=&#8221;inherit&#8221; column_padding_phone=&#8221;inherit&#8221; column_padding_position=&#8221;right&#8221; background_color_opacity=&#8221;1&#8243; background_hover_color_opacity=&#8221;1&#8243; column_shadow=&#8221;none&#8221; column_border_radius=&#8221;none&#8221; column_link_target=&#8221;_self&#8221; gradient_direction=&#8221;left_to_right&#8221; overlay_strength=&#8221;0.3&#8243; width=&#8221;1\/1&#8243; tablet_width_inherit=&#8221;default&#8221; tablet_text_alignment=&#8221;default&#8221; phone_text_alignment=&#8221;default&#8221; column_border_width=&#8221;none&#8221; column_border_style=&#8221;solid&#8221; bg_image_animation=&#8221;none&#8221;][vc_column_text]Students will help care for and collect data on the animals until their release sometime in 2022. More hatchlings are expected to arrive later this year. Before last fall, Goessling had never hatched and reared gopher tortoises, though many had been in his care. As with most new parents, the anxiety of guarding new life was an added stressor in an already stressful year.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor the first six months, you are constantly thinking about them and all the things that could go wrong 24\/7,\u201d he said. \u201cThankfully, this has helped me realize that these are pretty hardy animals. All they need is the chance to grow and they will be fine.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Head-starting has another advantage, Goessling admitted: The tortoises can get bigger than they would have foraging in the wild. Chomper is certainly living proof.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[vc_row type=&#8221;in_container&#8221; full_screen_row_position=&#8221;middle&#8221; column_margin=&#8221;default&#8221; column_direction=&#8221;default&#8221; column_direction_tablet=&#8221;default&#8221; column_direction_phone=&#8221;default&#8221; scene_position=&#8221;center&#8221; text_color=&#8221;dark&#8221; text_align=&#8221;left&#8221; row_border_radius=&#8221;none&#8221; row_border_radius_applies=&#8221;bg&#8221; overlay_strength=&#8221;0.3&#8243; gradient_direction=&#8221;left_to_right&#8221; shape_divider_position=&#8221;bottom&#8221; bg_image_animation=&#8221;none&#8221;][vc_column column_padding=&#8221;no-extra-padding&#8221; column_padding_tablet=&#8221;inherit&#8221; column_padding_phone=&#8221;inherit&#8221; column_padding_position=&#8221;all&#8221; background_color_opacity=&#8221;1&#8243; background_hover_color_opacity=&#8221;1&#8243; column_shadow=&#8221;none&#8221; column_border_radius=&#8221;none&#8221; column_link_target=&#8221;_self&#8221;&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":45,"featured_media":7031,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37,45],"tags":[348,529,651,347],"class_list":{"0":"post-7026","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-academics","8":"category-biology","9":"tag-gopher-tortoise","10":"tag-greenhouse","11":"tag-jeff-goessling","12":"tag-tortoise"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.5 (Yoast SEO v27.5) - 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