Gopherus polyphemus (Gopher Tortoise) is a federally listed or state threatened species throughout its range due to significant declines in its populations, largely due to habitat loss and fragmentation. Many Gopher Tortoises reside on private lands in humanimpacted and urbanized areas, yet the value of these populations to the conservation of the species is unclear. We conducted a radio-telemetry study on a population of Gopher Tortoises in a residential neighborhood in Cape Coral, FL, to determine if they could be benefitting from their location within an urban environment (i.e., whether or not they are "urbanophiles"). Some findings suggested that these tortoises could exist in an urban environment. There were no confirmed mortalities among the 10 tortoises in the year-long study, though 1 male dispersed from the area and later disappeared after 6 months. The mean annual home ranges (100% MCP) were 1.19 ha (min-max: 0.39-2.71 ha) for females (n = 5) and 1.13 ha (min-max: 0.51-1.72 ha) for males (n = 4), which are comparable to home-range sizes in natural habitats. However, other findings suggested that this urban landscape limited the animals. Gopher Tortoises rarely crossed roads (5% of all movements) and avoided lots with houses and associated human structures, in favor of undeveloped lots. Efforts to sustain these animals in urban environments can start implementing management strategies that integrate greenspaces within urban landscapes as an additional approach to protect this threatened species. This study suggests that adult Gopher Tortoises are adaptable and tolerant to high levles of urbanization and human disturbance, yet the degree to which tortoises can persist over time in these landscapes needs further exploration.

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A rattlesnake finds refuge I n early September 2017, Hurricane Irma made landfall in southwest Florida, bringing with it strong winds and heavy flooding. At that time, a radio-telemetry project was being conducted on eastern diamondback rattlesnakes (Crotalus adamanteus) at the campus of Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers, Florida. After the storm, this large radio-tagged female was found perched about two meters off the ground, atop a fallen cypress tree and other debris, surrounded by flood waters.Eastern diamondback rattlesnakes are typically sedentary predators that maintain relatively small home ranges (approximately 30-60 hectares) and will remain stationary for several days at a time. However, individuals in this study traveled long distances in the days to weeks after Irma made landfall. This may have been due to storm surge inundation limiting available space to rest, thermoregulate, and protect themselves. These snakes are also typically solitary; however, we encountered multiple rattlesnakes congregating on the small islands created by the hurricane.