Photo by: Beth Jackson
Desert Tortoise
Gopherus agassizii
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Threatened
(fws.gov)
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U.S. Endangered Species Act (CA, UT, AZ, and NV require federal or state permit); Nevada Administrative Code; California Endangered Species Act; Utah Administrative Rule; Arizona Revised Statute 17-306; Arizona Administrative Code R12-4-402
(deserttortoise.org)
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They are threatened by increased wildfires caused by non-native invasive vegetation and the degradation of their environment due to development. Their eggs and hatchlings also get preyed upon, lowering survival numbers (fws.gov).
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Arizona, Utah, Nevada, and California (northwest of Colorado River). (fws.gov)
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Live in various habitats including deserts, sandy flats, canyons, and rocky foothills. Desert tortoises can live from 50-80 years old; however, they have late sexual maturity from 13-20 years (fws.gov).
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How increased movement between populations of desert tortoises in nearby habitats can affect numbers of individuals, with potentially intervening this movement due to the tortoises’ lack of migration.
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Desert tortoises have a carapace (top shell) that consists of brown, gray, and black with a dome shape. The plastron (bottom shell) is tan or lighter brown. They have a short tail, larger stumpy hind legs, and their front legs are flattened for the purpose of digging. They have a weight range of 8-15 pounds and a shell height of 4-6 inches. (fws.org) The Mojave population of desert tortoises can look nearly identical to the Sonoran Desert tortoise (Gopherus morafkai) with similar thick back legs and digging front legs, body colors, and unkeeled carapaces. The main differences are that Sonoran desert tortoises have a flatter, pear-shaped shell and are more active during summer, while the Mojave population has a wider, dome-shaped shell and are more active in spring (desertusa.com).
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