Happy Gopher Tortoise Day! Gopher Tortoises occur throughout the Southeastern US, with South Carolina representing the northern edge of their range. They are only found in the southwestern portion of the coastal plain of South Carolina and rely on open canopy pine forests with a thick and diverse herbaceous understory and dry, sandy soils to dig their burrows. Gopher tortoises, a keystone species, are listed as state endangered and are protected in South Carolina. As a keystone species, they are