Officilas from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) are requesting people to learn more about Gorpher tortoises. There are reports where people have released gorpher tortoises into the ocean where they drowned.

Gorpher tortoises usually build their nest beside the nest of sea turtles but gorpher tortoises are the species which poorly swim unlike other species.

People are getting confused with the two species and helping hatchlings of gorpher tortoise instead of sea turtles go into ocean where they are droning.

Officials are asking animal lovers to closely look at the species and spot the differences between the two.

Gorpher tortoise have toes with the claws that help them digging whereas sea turtles have flipper which help them swimming and they also have one or two clawed toes which help them in digging on the sea floor to create nest for their eggs.

The basic difference between the tortoise, turtles and terrapins is that tortoises live on land, turtles live in water and terrapins can live in both water and land.

They all look similar at first glance but if someone will closely look at it then they can easily make out the difference because they have different features like the one in water will have flipper and the one on land will have claws.

Gorpher tortoise is in the list of endangered species, the possible reason is because of loss of habitat.

FCW wrote on its website, “Both the tortoise and its burrow are protected under state law. Gopher tortoises must be relocated before any land clearing or development takes place, and property owners must obtain permits from the FWC before capturing and relocating tortoise.”