Herman is a gopher tortoise that is recovering after he was hit by a car.
“Tortoise shells are made out of keratin -- the same thing our finger nail is made of -- and they grow from the skin outward,” said Danielle D’Amato.
D’Amato says Herman’s shell will grow back.
“He’ll always kind of look a little weird," D’Amato. "He will always have a scar, but it will heal."
D'Amato says drivers need to be careful because we'll start seeing more tortoises cross our roads.
Tortoises get energy from the sun, so as it gets warmer, well see more of them, they're also being driven out of their habitat.
“Construction is a big problem here. As we expand here in Jacksonville, we keep taking more of their homes so their having to cross the roads more to find the food they found before,” D’Amato said.
D'Amato says if you happen to see an injured tortoise, call the ark and make a note of exactly where you found them…so when they heal they can be dropped back off in the place they were found.
D'Amato says it can get expensive to bring tortoises back to health, if you'd like to donate, click here.