Sammy, A Story Of Survival and inspiration for my logo.

My name is Melondy and I own and operate PalmCoastLocal.com, a home service and business professionals directory in Palm Coast. When creating my logo I used a past experience as a reminder to never quit. While Sammy the Seaturtle is not Sammy the real Gopher Tortoise, it will always be a reminder for me. Here is the story of the real Sammy, the Gopher Tortoise.

The only photo I have of my little, injured gopher tortoise that survived, then went on his way.Photo byPalmCoastLocal.com

One of Florida's oldest land animal species is the Gopher Tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus). The gopher tortoise is a keystone species in the Florida ecosystem. It's known for its burrowing behavior, which provides shelter for many other animals. Gopher tortoises are believed to have existed for millions of years, and their ancestors can be traced back to prehistoric times. Today, their species is not only threatened by natural predators. They are also threatened by the excavation of their habitats.

I want to tell you about a young hatchling named "Sammy" and his determination to survive in a suburban world.

When I built my home in Palm Coast, many of the lots on the street were not cleared. Animals thrived in these little oases. There were deer, bobcats, birds, raccoons, turtles, and Gopher Tortoise. As time passed, less natural habitat was available due to newly constructed homes.

Many of the animals left and found new habitats, except for one tortoise that decided to become a suburbanite.

Adult Gopher Tortoise chomping down on my purslane flowers on my sidewalk in Palm Coast, FloridaPhoto byPalm Coast Local

A female tortoise about 7 inches long walked across the road to my home daily. Eating my flowers and weeds in my yard. While cleaning behind a bush in the front yard, one day, I discovered a hole next to the home. This whole was deep and long. I thought it might be a rabbit hole. Turns out it was a gopher tortoise. The same tortoise that walked across the street had taken up residence in my yard. Months went by; It was now April. Once more, we saw the tortoise crossing the street.

Early one morning, I checked the hole next to the house while taking out the trash. Before I reached the spot, I came upon two beautiful hatchlings. These babies were only about 2 inches long. Chomping down on some green weeds. The two would disappear until the following day.

This went on for a couple of weeks, and one day, no tortoise. I figured they had just moved on, finding someone else's weeds more enticing.

After a while, I had put the little tortoises out of my thoughts. Then, one morning, while clearing out some weeds, there was an object that looked like a hollowed-out mushroom. With a closer look, I found it was a tortoise. Possibly one of the two babies. It appeared another animal gouged out its underside. We were very sad that this tortoise had met its fate. (Only 2 to 3% of hatchlings survive.) Now, we wondered if the other one had a similar fortune. A day or two passed. While walking in the yard, I saw another baby tortoise.

I noticed the baby hatchling was just inches from an ant hill (ants attack and kill hatchlings). The baby was tucked inside his shell. I picked him up to see if any ants had hurt him. Some ants were indeed on his underside. I brushed them off, observed him briefly, and then put him in a better spot. When I did this, my dog took notice. You could almost see him thinking. Now, we decided to name the baby Sammy. Every morning, we would see Sammy in different locations in our yard. We didn't have to look for him because our dog, a Black Mouth Cur, would find and sit near him like he was protecting Sammy. We worried the little hatchling would be unsafe since Scrub Jays, indigo snakes, and hawks were still around.

My husband, myself, and my dog were sitting on our porch. Suddenly, our dog ran full speed to the fence. A hawk tried to pick something up, but our dog wouldn't allow it. Our dog chased the Hawk away and continued to bark as though he was summoning us. We ran over to see what was happening, and a tortoise was on the ground on his back. Was it Sammy? We picked him up to see if he was harmed, and yes, he was. A scratch mark that was red across his underside. The Hawk had poked him with his talons.

We called a Vet, and his answer was to leave him. This is part of nature. Since we do not give up, we decided to see what we could do. We found a plastic container to observe him. It took a few days before he came out of his shell. We kept Sammy and nursed him back to health for a few months. We studied his needs, like what he eats, the desirable temperature, etc. When he seemed healthy, I let him loose in the yard. I did not want him to get too accustomed to humans. Sammy roamed our yard for months, and our dog always knew where he was. Then, one day, we noticed a small hole under the fence. Our dog didn't roam the yard looking for Sammy. It became evident that Sammy had gone his own way.

Four years after Sammy left, I noticed a five or six-inch tortoise in the yard. The markings on its shell were darker than Sammy's. When our dog approached, the tortoise allowed him to sniff and did not retreat into his shell. I observed as it slowly lumbered through the yard. Yes, he went to all the spots that Sammy went to. Our dog sat near him, just like Sammy. Did our dog know something? Was this Sammy? Days went by, and the tortoise was still in our yard. I grabbed the pictures of Sammy as a hatchling and wondered, is it him? As the days passed, there was no tortoise again, and my dog stopped looking.

It has been a while now, and no more tortoise visits. I kept wondering, was that Sammy who came for a visit? I want to believe it was. I think it was Sammy, and he came to tell us he survived and was all right, not to worry. After all, Gopher Tortoises are intelligent creatures and have excellent navigation abilities.

In my heart, I will concede that it was that little hatchling, a true survivor. Maybe someday Sammy will visit again.

I hope I am here for Sammy's next visit. Please respect and care our natural wildlife.