Some recently published articles about gopher tortoises, their commensals, and upland communities in the southeast. Check out GTC's Education & Outreach page for more literature, including snake and tortoise bibliographies.

Bartoszek, I.A., K.C. Hengstebeck, I. Easterling, M. Bassis, and C.M. Romagosa. 2024. Subterranean refuge use by Burmese pythons (Python bivattatus) in southwestern Florida. Journal of Herpetology https://doi.org/10.1670/21-064

Bogan Jr., J.E., C.D. Huston, A.K. Mason, M.J. Meyers, and T.M. Farrell. 2024. Randomized climincal trial evaluating a novel Piperazine-based drug as a treatment for Gastric Cryptosporidiosis in eastern indigo snakes (Drymarchon couperi). Journal of Herpetological Medicine and Surgery https://doi.org/10.5818/JHMS-D-24-00021

Botero-Cañola, S., C. Torhorst, N. Canino, L. Beati, K.C. O'Hara, A.M. James, and S.M. Wisely. 2024. Integrating systematic surveys with historical data to model the distribution of Ornithodoros turicata americanus, a vector of epidemiological concern in North America. Ecology and Evolution https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.70547

Brooks, G.C., S.J. Goodman, W.M. Moore, H.C. Chandler, N.M. Caruso, J.A. Smith, T.A. Gorman, and C.A. Haas. 2025. Gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) burrow associate communities are depauperate in modified landscapes. Community Ecology https://doi.org/10.1007/s42974-025-00232-x

Canino, N., C. Torhorst, S. Botero-Cañola, L. Beati, K.C. O'Hara, A. James, and S.M. Wisely. 2024. Development of a rapid and reliable surveillance method for Ornithodoros turicata americanus in gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) burrows in the southeastern United States. Medical and Veterinary Entomology https://doi.org/10.1111/mve.12764

Hartmann, A., K. Subramaniam, C. Conrad, P.H.O. Viadanna, T.B. Waltzek, and A.V. Longo. 2024. Genomic characterization of two ranavirus isolates identified from a gopher frog (Lithobates capito) and a striped newt (Notophthalmus perstriatus) during a mass mortality event in Florida. Virology https://doi.org/10.1128/mra.00017-24

McKnight, S.L., S.A. Johnson, D. MacKenzie, M.A. Acevedo, and B.M Kluever. 2024. Management of invasive iguanas mitigates deleterious impacts on an imperiled tortoise. Management of Biological Invasions https://doi.org/10.3391/mbi.2024.15.4.01

Samuels, L.R., H.C. Chandler, M. Hoffman, J.A. Kronenberger, M. Elmore, R. Aldredge, B.S. Stegenga, J.E. Bogan Jr., M.A. Davis, S. Hertz, M.K. Schwartz, and T. Wilcox. 2025. Persistence of reptile DNA in a terrestrial substrate: a case study using the eastern indigo snake. Environmental DNA https://doi.org/10.1002/edn3.70053

Santamaria, C.A., E. Galbraith, and A.M. Gainsbury. 2024. Development of an assay for the detection of the federally threatened Florida eastern indigo snake (Drymarchon couperi) using soil eDNA. Conservation Science and Practice https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.13237

Voves, K.C., and B.R. Rothermel. 2024. Gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) densities and habitat suitability across a xeric-mesic gradient in peninsular Florida, USA. Herpetological Conservation and Biology 19(2):336-350