gopher tortoise walks on sandy pine land and palmetto palms. This is their favorite habitat. It is considered a keystone species because it digs burrows that provide shelter for at least 360 other animal species, including diamondback rattlesnakes. Today, the greatest threat to the survival of the gopher tortoise is habitat destruction. Tortoises cannot live if they do not have undeveloped land with plenty of food and room to dig their burrows. Another less obvious threat that is related to development is land fragmentation. Gopher tortoises are herbivore scavengers. Their diet contains more than 300 species of plants.