About Desert turtles

Answer 1

The desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) is a species of tortoise native to the Mojave desert and Sonoran desert of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. The epithet agassizii is in honor of Swiss-American zoologist Jean Louis Rodolphe Agassiz.

Desert Tortoise, G. agassizii

Conservation status

Vulnerable (IUCN 2.3)

Scientific classificationKingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Sauropsida

Order: Testudines

Suborder: Cryptodira

Superfamily: Testudinoidea

Family: Testudinidae

Genus: Gopherus

Species: G. agassizii

Binomial nameGopherus agassizii

Cooper, 1863 This tortoise may attain a length of 10 to 14 inches (25 to 36 cm)[1], with males being slightly larger than females. Male tortoises have a longer gular horn than females, their plastron (lower shell) is concave compared to female tortoises. Their shells are high-domed, and greenish-tan to dark brown in color. Desert tortoises can grow from 4-6" in height and weigh 8-15 lb (4-7 kg) when fully grown. The front limbs have heavy, claw-like scales and are flattened for digging. Back legs are more stumpy and elephantine.

[edit] HabitatDesert Tortoise in Rainbow Basin near Barstow, California.

The tortoise is able to live where ground temperature may exceed 140 degrees Fahrenheit (60 degrees Celsius) because of its ability to dig underground burrows and escape the heat. At least 95% of its life is spent in burrows. There, it is also protected from freezing winter weather while dormant, from November through February or March. With its burrow, this tortoise creates a subterranean environment that can be beneficial to other reptiles, mammals, birds and invertebrates. Scientists have divided the desert tortoise into two types: the Mojave and Sonoran Desert tortoises, with a possible third type in the Black Mountains of northwestern Arizona. They live in a different type of habitat, from sandy flats to rocky foothills. They have a strong proclivity in the Mojave desert for alluvial fans, washes and canyons where more suitable soils for den construction might be found. They range from near sea level to around 3,500 feet in elevation. It is believed that, in their entire lives, these tortoises rarely move more than two miles from their natal nest. They also live to be 80-100 years old. The mating season for the desert tortoise is lengthy. It occurs from spring to fall, with a peak in late summer/early fall (September). They typically lay 4-8 eggs per clutch, with 1-2 clutches per year. The eggs are hard, chalky and elliptical or spherical and buried in a funnel-shaped nest. They are incubated for 90-120 days. Hatchlings from only a few eggs out of every hundred actually survive the 7-15 years it takes to reach full adulthood. Predators and conservation status Ravens, Gila monsters, kit foxes, badgers, roadrunners, coyotes, and fire ants are all natural predators of the desert tortoise. They prey on eggs, juveniles, which are 2-3 inches long with a thin, delicate shell, or in some cases adults. Ravens are hypothesized to cause significant levels of juvenile tortoise predation in some areas of the Mojave Desert - frequently near urbanized areas. The most significant threats to tortoises include urbanization, habitat destruction and fragmentation, illegal collection and vandalism by humans, and competition with cattle for forage plants. The eggs they lay can get so shiny that they can look like they've been hard boiled. Desert tortoise populations in some areas have declined by as much as 90% since the 1980s and the Mojave population is listed as threatened. It is unlawful to touch, harm, harass or collect wild desert tortoises. It is, however, possible to adopt captive tortoises through the Tortoise Adoption Program (TAP) in Arizona, or through the Bureau of Land Management in Nevada. When adopted in Nevada, they will have a computer chip embedded on their back for reference. According to Arizona Game and Fish Commission Rule R12-4-407 A.1, they may be possessed if the tortoises are obtained from a captive source which is properly documented. Commission Order 43: Reptile Notes 3: one tortoise per family member. As yet another part of the tortoise desert habitat was to undergo "development" - this time, to be converted into combat training grounds at Fort Irwin Military Reservation - the US Army started a tortoise relocation project. In March of 2008, about 670 tortoises were moved by helicopter to other parts of the Mojave Desert. Unfortunately, a large portion of the displaced tortoises died, mostly eaten by coyotes, which led to the suspension of the program.[2] * Tortoise & Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group (1996). Gopherus agassizii. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Listed as Vulnerable (VU A1acde+2cde, E v2.3) * Gopherus agassizii (TSN 173856). Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved on 6 February 2006. * The Desert Tortoise * The Biogeography of The Desert Tortoise, by Kerrie Bathel * The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum # ^ Kindersley, Dorling (2001,2005). Animal. New York City: DK Publishing. Special:Booksources. # ^ "Army suspends relocation of Ft. Irwin tortoises". Los Angeles Times, October 11, 2008

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Yes, some species of turtle live in the desert. In North America one can find box turtles and mud turtles in the desert as well as a number of species of aquatic turtles where there is permanent water.

Answer 2

long enough