I was fortunate to spend time with this Gopher Tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) during my visit to Key Vista Nature Park back in December.

See the sturdy claws on the front feet? They are used for digging roomy burrows (about 15′ long by 6′ wide, though they have been known to far exceed that).

Their digging skills are so impressive that they were named for them twice; Gopherus refers to the ground tunneling rodent while Polyphemus honors a Greek cave-dwelling giant.

All that earth moving must work up quite an appetite because this tortoise was focused on one thing and one thing only, eating. I dropped to my knees with my zoom lens so I could capture some shots. I was fascinated by the way its pink tongue contrasted against the dark scales and hard shell.

After 15 minutes, the tortoise ambled off into the brush and I meandered on down the trail, thankful for these protected spaces that so many wild creatures call home.