Desert Tortoise (Gopherus agassizii): All you need to know!

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Testudines
Genus:	Gopherus
Species:	G. agassizii

A desert tortoise is a cute animal to know about. Desert tortoises are two types of tortoises in the Mojave and Sonoran deserts in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. They are the desert tortoise of Agassiz and the desert tortoise of Morafka. These tortoises grow slowly and live for a long time. They haven’t changed much in the last 200 million years. Males are a little bit bigger than females, and their gular horns are longer.

A male’s plastron, or lower shell, is concave, while a female is flat. Males’ tails are bigger than those of females. Desert tortoises have greenish-tan to dark brown shells with a high dome. The front legs are flattened and have sharp scales that look like claws. This helps the animal dig. The back legs are shorter and skinnier. Desert tortoises can deal with daily changes in water, salt, and energy, which helps them live longer.

Scientific Name

Most people call this animal a desert tortoise, and its scientific name is Gopherus agassizii. This tortoise is in the class Reptilia and is in the family Testudinae. Gopherus morafkai is the scientific name for another kind of desert tortoise. Its shell is smaller than that of the Gopherus agassizii. The name “Gopherus” comes from this tortoise digging holes. Like real gophers, they dig holes in the ground. Agassizii is the name of the turtle to honour the Swiss zoologist Jean Louis Rodolphe Agassizii, who studied tortoises in North America for a long time.

Desert Tortoise Facts

• The Desert tortoise is both California and Nevada’s state reptile. So, this is why many people often want to know about the California desert tortoise.
• Adult tortoises can live for at least a year without water. They get their water from the water in cactus fruits and mesquite grass when it’s hot and dry. They refill their bladders with water and move to moist underground burrows in the morning to keep from losing water through evaporation.
• Desert tortoises can protect themselves by getting rid of their urine. This can make the tortoise very vulnerable in dry places, so it shouldn’t be scared, touched, or picked up in the wild unless it is in immediate danger. If it needs to be handled and its bladder needs to be emptied, it should be given water to replenish the fluids in its body.
• Desert tortoises can live in temperatures from below freezing to over 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius).
• Desert tortoises are most active after it rains and spends most of the year sleeping. This inactivity helps them keep from losing too much water when it’s hot, and hibernation helps them stay alive when it’s cold and there’s not much food around.
• Desert tortoises are very loyal to where they live and have well-defined home ranges where they know where to find food, water, and minerals.

What Does a Desert Tortoise Look Like?

A desert tortoise’s shell is usually brown or grey and doesn’t have any bright markings like a Box turtle’s shell does in the woods. Moreover, it does have a pattern of lines that divide the shell into parts called “scutes.” Its shell is yellow or light brown on the bottom. So, this tortoise can be as long as 15 inches and as tall as 4 inches. A desert tortoise will weigh between 8 and 15 pounds if you put it on a scale. An 8-pound tortoise would be the same weight as half a bowling ball.

The 17-inch long, 26-pound desert tortoise is the biggest one ever seen. Furthermore, the eyes and ears of a desert tortoise are small and black, and you can’t see them from the outside. They have an eardrum under a layer of scales on their neck. When the ground moves, a desert tortoise can feel it and hear it through its legs, shell, and eardrums. This is how they hear what’s going on around them. Moreover, these tortoises dig a lot, whether they are making a tunnel to live in or a groove in the sand to catch rainwater.

How do they walk on ground?

They have sharp, strong nails on the front of their strong front legs, which help them make good progress when breaking through the dry desert tortoise campground. The scales on their skin protect them from the hard work they do digging. A desert tortoise has a big shell that gives its lungs a lot of room. Also, this reptile’s shell is big, which helps it keep its body temperature stable so it can live in the hot desert. The way a desert tortoise stores water lets it live in hot and dry places.

After drinking a lot of rainwater, a desert tortoise can store more water in its bladder to use when it needs it. Desert tortoises like to be alone, except when it’s time for them to breed. But sometimes, these solitary animals share a tunnel with a dozen or more other tortoises, especially in the winter. Moreover, a small group of tortoises is called a “creep.” Scientists and wildlife photographers have a hard time seeing desert tortoises because they are shy.

Related: CARACAL CAT

Desert Tortoise Habitat

The desert tortoise is endemic to the arid regions of the southwestern United States and northwest Mexico. Moreover, the Mojave and Sonoran deserts are their primary habitats. Heat indexes in this arid region can easily surpass 105 degrees Fahrenheit, and precipitation is scarce. Tortoises in the Sonoran and Mojave deserts escape the intense heat of summer by hiding underground. As a matter of fact, they engage in a state of dormancy similar to hibernation known as estivation.

In order to conserve energy, desert tortoises spend a lot of time sleeping throughout the summer. The grasses that desert tortoises depend on for food become extremely sparse throughout the winter. As a result, these amphibians and reptiles go underground to engage in the form of hibernation known as brumation. However, desert tortoises emerge from their burrows into the sunlight during the spring months in order to refuel on food.

Where Are Desert Tortoises Found?

Native habitats for desert tortoises include the Sinaloan thorn scrub in northwest Mexico, the Mojave and Sonoran deserts in the southwestern United States, & the Sonoran Desert tortoise in Mexico. They can be found in southwestern Utah, southern Nevada, southeastern California, and western Arizona. Tortoises in the desert can be found anywhere from sandy plains to stony hillsides. The Mojave Desert’s alluvial fans, washes, and canyons may be more favourable soils for den construction. They are also common in tropical grasslands and deciduous forests.

What Does a Desert Tortoise Eat?

Just what does a desert tortoise chow down on? The desert tortoise diet consists of a variety of plants, including ryegrass, primrose, rice grass, Bermuda grass, cactus, sow thistle, and wildflowers. This lizard moves slowly over the desert, pulling dried grass out of the ground with its scaly, strong feet. For a tortoise, digestion might take up to 30 days! A desert tortoise can find the plants it needs to eat on its own when it’s out in the wild. Unfortunately, some tortoises get sick and die after consuming human garbage. Moreover, these animals should not be in contact with balloons, plastic bags, or food storage containers.

Desert Tortoise Predators

The desert tortoise is prey to a wide variety of animals, including foxes, coyotes, skunks, ravens, and Gila monsters. Younger, weaker tortoises are a prime target for these predators. When threatened, a desert tortoise will retreat behind its shell or one of its many underground tunnels. Furthermore, if it ever finds itself in the mouth of a predator, it will urinate to get the animal to drop it. While this may enable the tortoise to break free of its attacker, it comes at the expense of its water supply.

As the desert’s temperatures rise in the summer, this can be very dangerous for the tortoise. The desert tortoise’s current conservation status is: Threatened. Humans are destroying desert tortoise habitats by constructing neighbourhoods and expanding landfills in the area. The tortoise also faces danger when it attempts to cross streets.

How Does Desert Tortoise Reproduce?

During mating season, male desert tortoises battle for the attention of a female. In a demonstration of strength, one male may even try to knock the other one onto its shell. Female desert tortoises need about three to four months to give birth. The nest she creates can hold up to 14 eggs. Once the female lays her eggs, the female desert turtle abandons her nest. Between May and July, females lay their eggs, and in August and October, their young emerge.

How Big Are Desert Tortoise Babies?

So, how big do desert tortoises get? After hatching, newborn tortoises are about 1.5 inches in length and weigh under a pound. From the moment they emerge from their egg, the chicks are on their own. As their outer covering doesn’t mature for another several years, many of them don’t make it. Afterwards, they are on their own to forage for sustenance, and many times they are killed by one of the many desert predators.

What Is the Age Of Desert Tortoise?

Adult male and female desert tortoises have been known to live to be over 80 years old. Obviously, a desert tortoise in captivity will outlive its wild counterpart. Moreover, the tortoise’s life is much easier in a zoo since it is safe from predators and always has access to food. Known as “Jonathan,” this turtle is the oldest living land tortoise.

A conservative estimate puts his age at 185. Many diseases can strike an ageing desert tortoise. Tortoises that have had their habitats destroyed or diminished due to human activities are more susceptible to upper respiratory infections, shell illnesses, and herpesvirus.

How Many Desert tortoises Are There?

Since 1980, the desert tortoise population has dropped by 90 per cent owing to habitat loss, cattle grazing, predators, and disease. In addition, only 1–5 of every 100 desert tortoise hatchlings survive to adulthood. Therefore, they are considered to be in a Threatened conservation state. On the other hand, the Endangered Species Act established legal safeguards for the desert tortoise in 1990. Construction and litter pose a serious threat to the homes of over 150,000 desert tortoises.

What Eats A Desert Tortoise?

The desert tortoise has several natural enemies, including foxes, coyotes, Gila monsters, badgers, and even road runners. A mature desert tortise is unlikely to be attacked by these animals. It is heavy and hard to handle when an adult desert tortoise retreats within its shell. In contrast, these predators target the young, helpless hatchlings because of their size and vulnerability.

For this reason, very few chicks survive to maturity. Raven’s prey on young desert tortoises and have even been known to steal eggs from their nests. Mountain lions are among the predators that will consume an adult turtle. A mountain lion’s powerful jaws may easily crack the shell of a mature desert tortoise.

Is A Desert Tortoise An Omnivore, Carnivore Or Herbivore?  

So, what do desert tortoises eat? Herbivores, or plant eaters, describe desert tortoises. In the scorching desert heat, they subsist on the coarse, thorny grasses and readily available plants. Herbs, flowers, various types of grass and cacti, and cactus fruit are some examples of what they eat.

Moreover, the grasses and other plant life that desert tortoises eat take about 20-30 days to be digested. Foraging is the process by which desert tortoises look for food in the desert. Desert tortoises defecate in the desert after feasting on plants and grasses. The unused seeds will germinate and produce new plants. As desert tortoises forage, they develop new plant life.

Can I Keep Desert Tortoise As A Pet?

Herbivores, or plant eaters, describe desert tortoises. In the scorching desert heat, they subsist on the coarse, thorny grasses and readily available plants. Herbs, flowers, various types of grass and cacti, and cactus fruit are some examples of what they eat.

The grasses and other plant life that desert tortoises eat take about 20-30 days to be digested. Foraging is the process by which desert tortoises look for food in the desert. Desert tortoises defecate in the desert after feasting on plants and grasses. The unused seeds will germinate and produce new plants. As desert tortoises forage, they develop new plant life.

FAQs

Can A Desert Tortoise Be A Pet?

Arizonans have kept desert tortoises as pets for decades. It’s obvious that so many people are fond of this cute desert inhabitant. Tortoises seem to have a lot of personalities and are often seen interacting with their human and animal neighbours.

How Long Do Desert Tortoises Live?

Adult desert tortoises have a lifespan of 30–50 years in the wild and can live as long as 80 years in extreme cases.

What Are Some Distinguishing Features Of Desert Tortoises?

Miniature in stature, desert tortoises, flaunt colourful patterns on their shells.

What Do Desert Tortoises Eat?

Grass, plants, and flowers make up the bulk of a desert tortoise’s diet.

How Large Do Desert Tortoises Get?

In maturity, a desert tortoise can reach a length of up to 14 inches (35.5 cm). The average length of a newborn is only 2.5 inches (6.5 cm). Tortoises may “pee” when threatened to show their displeasure at being handled.

What Is The Average Clutch Size Of A Desert Tortoise?

As a rule, female desert tortoises will produce seven young.

What Do Desert Tortoises Eat?

In the wild, desert tortoises consume only plant matter. The finest captive diet should also include a wide selection of items to fulfil the animal’s specific dietary requirements. The ideal diet for a captive tortoise consists of grasses, leaves, and flowers.

What Is An Interesting Fact About Desert Tortoises?

Subterranean burrows are the home of the desert tortoise.

Do Desert Tortoises Bite?

If you want a quick answer, then yes. The majority of the time, it’s a fluke when animals die in captivity. This often occurs during hand-fed meals or when the animal is hungry and “test bites” a new food item to evaluate if it tastes good.

Can Desert Tortoise Swim?

Tortoises are unable to swim because they do not have webbed feet, and their legs are not designed to paddle. Because of this, they are more suited for walking long distances and carrying heavy loads than swimming. Since tortoises’ shells develop layered scutes as they mature, they become increasingly cumbersome when submerged.

How Long Can Desert Tortoises Go Without Water?

Herbivorous grasses, flowers, fruit, and cactus are the staples of a desert tortoise’s diet. Due to the high moisture content of these foods, desert tortoises can survive for up to a year without drinking water.