I’m pleased to say that my latest drawing is finally finished. It’s based on one of my own photos taken at the Crystal River Wildlife Refuge. It depicts a gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) as it treks through the sand in its native sandhills habitat. Gopher tortoises can only be found in Florida and some parts of Georgia and are the only tortoise species found in the eastern United States. Gopher tortoises are considered a keynote species because the burrows that they dig provide shelter and sometimes nourishment for a large number of other species. Over the years, I have had the good fortune to be able to observe these animals both in the wild and as occasional patients in veterinary practice. Their relatively slow moving, peaceful personalities and their symbolism of the State of Florida have endeared them to me, so it seemed fitting that I should draw one.