
	Where results make sense

Topic: Desert Tortoise

Related Topics

Tortoise

Greek Tortoise

Marginated Tortoise

Aldabra Giant Tortoise

Texas Tortoise

Desert climate

African Spurred Tortoise

Burmese Star Tortoise

List of North American deserts

Mojave Desert

Mojave Desert

Desert horned lizard

Bighorn Sheep

Chuckwalla

Cray 3

In the News (Sun 20 Dec 09)

Northern Trust

Marvin Harrison

Peter Chernin

Gary Locke

Match Play

Penelope Cruz

Mickey Rourke

AR Rahman

Danny Boyle

Hugh Jackman

	California Turtle and Tortoise Club's Desert Tortoise Care Sheet
		Desert tortoises are known to live as long as 60-80 years, and probably may live even longer.
		It is cruel and inhumane to tether a tortoise by the legs or by holes drilled in the shell.
		Tortoises are susceptible to respiratory ailments, such as the Upper Respiratory Tract Disease that has decimated the wild population in California and Nevada.
	www.tortoise.org /general/descare.html (0 words)

	Tortoise Adoption Program - Natural History
		The desert tortoise occurs in a number of plant communities ranging from sparse creosote bush desertscrub in the winter rainfall Mohave Desert to palo verde-saguaro desertscrub in the bi-seasonal Sonoran Desert and eventually to summer rainfall tropical thornscrub and deciduous forest in Sonora and Sinaloa.
		In the Sonoran Desert, tortoise density seems to be related to the density of perennial plants and plant species composition which are controlled by the amount of rainfall and winter freeze frequency.
		Sonoran desert tortoise retreats are often on rocky slopes in mountains, avoiding the deep soiled valley situations favored by Mohave desert tortoises.
	www.desertmuseum.org /programs/tap_tortnathistory.html (0 words)

	Desert tortoise information from the Desert Tortoise Preserve Committee
		Within the desert's fragile ecosystem, tortoise populations are rapidly diminishing; in some places they have disappeared.
		Plants Eaten by Juvenile Desert Tortoises in the Central Mojave Desert
		The Desert Tortoise and Upper Respiratory Tract Disease
	www.tortoise-tracks.org /gopherus.html (234 words)

	RMH Desert Tort
		In the wild, the desert tortoise diet is composed primarily of native desert grasses, forbs, shrubs, and cacti.
		Desert tortoises kept in large, natural desert backyards are usually capable of finding enough forage for themselves, but it is advisable to provide some supplementation if you are not absolutely sure the tortoise can find enough food on its own.
		Desert tortoises, with their ability to tolerate long periods of water and electrolyte imbalance, are among a unique group of animals adapted to the hostile climatic extremes of the North American deserts.
	www.kingsnake.com /rockymountain/RMHPages/RMHpr03.htm (3962 words)

	Desert Tortoise Summary
		Desert tortoises dig into dry, gravelly soil under bushes in arroyo banks or at the base of cliffs to construct a burrow, which is their home.
		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.
		Desert tortoise populations have declined by 90% since the 1980s and it is listed as threatened.
	www.bookrags.com /Desert_Tortoise (1297 words)

	Desert tortoise - Gopherus agassizii: More Information - ARKive
		The desert tortoise occurs in a variety of different habitats within the Mohave and Sonoran Deserts, from sandy flats to rocky foothills, river valleys and canyons (2).
		Desert tortoises reach sexual maturity when they attain a size of roughly 20 centimetres, which may take up to 15 years (3).
		As cold-blooded animals, tortoises adopt behavioural means of regulating their temperature; they hibernate in burrows during the winter months and are also dormant through the hottest part of summer in a behaviour known as aestivation (2).
	www.arkive.org /species/GES/reptiles/Gopherus_agassizii/more_info.html (0 words)

	Desert Tortoise Management (Site not responding. Last check: )
		The desert tortoise, Gopherus agassizii, is characterized by a high-dome, brown shell, often with yellowish centers on each scute, stout elephantine legs, and males have a gular (throat) projection and concave surface on the lower shell (plastron).
		While active, desert tortoises forage on a variety of plant material, including grasses, wildflowers, fruits etc. Eggs are laid prior to the summer monsoons (June-July), with reproduction occurring in late summer to early fall.
		Desert tortoises are divided into two populations: the Mojave Desert population (populations occurring north and west of the Colorado River) and the Sonoran Desert Population (populations occurring south and east of the Colorado River).
	www.gf.state.az.us /w_c/desert_tortoise.shtml (690 words)

	San Francisco Zoo \| Animals \| Desert tortoise
		The desert tortoise is California’s state reptile, and practices lithophagy — swallowing rocks to aid in digestion.
		Desert tortoises are found in the desert regions in the southwestern United States to northwestern Mexico.
		The Zoo’s desert tortoises are part of the collection of educational outreach animals that are housed at the Koret Animal Resource Center.
	www.sfzoo.org /cgi-bin/animals.py?ID=46 (0 words)

	Desert Tortoise wildlife information - DesertUSA
		Tortoises do not have webbed feet, their feet are round and stumpy for walking on land, they are not able to swim.
		The Desert Tortoise is an herbivore that may attain a length of 9 to 15 inches in upper shell (carapace) length.
		The tortoise is able to live where ground temperature may exceed 140 degrees F because of its ability to dig underground burrows and escape the heat.
	www.desertusa.com /june96/du_tort.html (0 words)

	Desert Tortoise - Desert Wildlife
		Tortoises are homebodies, spending up to 98% of their time in burrows, hibernating in the winter and estivating (remaining inactive) in the summer.
		Tortoises are able to derive almost all of their water from consuming plants.
		Since droughts are common in the deserts that the tortoise inhabit, they rely on the erratic years of good rainfall and the ensuing growth of palatable foods.
	digital-desert.com /wildlife/tortoise (1221 words)

	Desert Tortoise - Gopherus agassizii
		The Desert Tortoises is a land dwelling turtle belonging to the Testudinidae family.
		The Desert Tortoise is also known as a gopher tortoise because it belongs to one of 4 species of the Gopherus genus.
		Desert Tortoises will develop a preference for certain plants, to which their digestive systems become accustomed.
	www.blueplanetbiomes.org /desert_tortoise.htm (0 words)

	The Desert Tortoise : Utah's Hogle Zoo
		The desert tortoise is a timid animal that can travel up to 20 feet per minute, if not diverted by a succulent plant.
		Tortoise tracks consist of a series of parallel rows of rounded dents with sand heaped at the rear of each track.
		Desert tortoises are the largest tortoise in North America.
	www.hoglezoo.org /animals/view.php?id=25 (0 words)

	Desert Tortoise - National Zoo\| FONZ
		There is a general concern that the precipitous decline in tortoise populations in some areas of the southwest may be related to inadequate nutrition, and that this in turn may be a consequence of human impacts, such as livestock grazing, weed introduction and off-road vehicle use, that have changed plant communities in the desert.
		Research on captive tortoises is conducted at the Desert Tortoise Conservation Center, a tortoise holding facility southwest of Las Vegas.
		For example, desert plants often accumulate potassium as a means of enhancing water uptake from dry soils, and tortoises that eat them must use nitrogen (from protein) to excrete the excess potassium.
	nationalzoo.si.edu /ConservationAndScience/TemperateEcosystems/DesertTortoise (321 words)

	Desert Tortoise
		Many tortoises are harmed by diets which are high in water, protein or fat content and can develop bladder stones or bone disease.
		Tortoises, hibernating in uninsulated outdoor houses or garages, are exposed to temperatures which fluctuate and can be too cool, or too warm, causing stress to the animal.
		If you adopt a tortoise, you need to make arrangements to return the tortoise to the Society if you move out of the area or cannot continue to care for the tortoise.
	www.sdturtle.org /desert_tortoise.htm (589 words)

	[No title]
		Mortality of desert tortoises due to gunshot wounds and off-highway vehicles is common in parts of the Mojave region.
		The illegal release of captive desert tortoises that are ill may be spreading URTD to wild populations.
		Another factor that is contributing to the decline in desert tortoise populations is habitat fragmentation.
	www.nps.gov /moja/planning/tort.htm (980 words)

	Desert Tortoise Natural History
		Tortoises may be distinguished from other turtle families by the following characteristics: the hind legs are cylindrical and elephantine in shape: the feet are short, broad and club-shaped.
		The desert tortoise lives in a variety of plant communities ranging from sparse creosotebush desertscrub in the winter rainfall Mohave Desert to paloverde-saguaro desertscrub in the bi-seasonal Sonoran Desert and eventually to summer rainfall tropical thornscrub and deciduous forest in Sonora and Sinaloa.
		Unfortunately, release of captive tortoises is not biologically acceptable because of the high potential risk to existing wild populations from disease introduction, disruption of population structure, and mixing of genetic stock from different regions.
	www.biopark.org /Destort1.html (2777 words)

	Desert Tortoise Ecology
		Desert tortoises generally emerge from their burrows mid-March to feed on ephemeral plants.
		Desert tortoises have unique characteristics enabling them to survive in the desert environment.
		Desert tortoises may dig shallow basins in impermeable soil to catch rainwater.
	geochange.er.usgs.gov /sw/impacts/biology/tortoise1 (591 words)

	Desert Tortoise
		According to the fossil record, the desert tortoise (gopherus agassizii) has lived in the arid southwestern US for the last ten to twelve thousand years.
		The Desert Tortoise is an herbivore that may attain a length of 9 to 15 inches in upper shell (carapace) length.
		The tortoise is able to live where ground temperature may exceed 140 degrees F because of its ability to dig underground burrows and escape the heat.
	www.nvwf.org /nevada/wildlife/tortoise.htm (737 words)

	Comunidad de Los Horcones (Site not responding. Last check: )
		Desert tortoises are found on flats, alluvial fans, downhills and rocky terrain.
		Desert tortoises need soils they are capable of digging into for burrows.
		However, the desert tortoises reproductive potential is low, laying relatively few eggs (3-14) in each clutch, and having a high mortality rate for juveniles approaching 99%.
	www.loshorcones.org.mx /tortoise.html (566 words)

	Desert Tortoise Natural Area Virtual Field Trip
		In addition to the desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii), the DTNA is home to 27 other species of reptiles, 29 species of breeding birds, 23 species of mammals and many species of arthropods.
		Tortoises tend to feed in the cool of morning and it is then that they are most likely to be seen walking in the open.
		The damage to the delicate desert substrate around this wash is clearly visible from the Randsburg Mojave road as you drive to the preserve from California City.
	www.tortoise-tracks.org /dtna/tour.html (0 words)

	Care of a Captive Desert Tortoise (Site not responding. Last check: )
		Tortoises fare best when handled or disturbed as little as possible, although much enjoyment and understanding of the nature of the desert tortoise can be gained simply by observation of natural behavior.
		Wild desert tortoises have been strictly protected since 1987 due to concerns about the potential for decline of their populations.
		Desert tortoises climb well, so the shelter den or other interior structures should be at least 12 inches away from the perimeter enclosure.
	www.gf.state.az.us /w_c/captive_tortoise_care.shtml (4688 words)

	The Sonoran Desert Tortoise: Natural History, Biology, and Conservation
		Differences in climate and habitat have shaped the evolution of three races of desert tortoises as they have adapted to changes in heat, rainfall, and sources of food and shelter as the deserts developed in the last ten million years.
		Tortoise health is discussed in chapters on the care of captives, and original data are presented on the diets of wild and captive tortoises, the nutrient content of plant foods, and blood parameters of healthy tortoises.
		As the only comprehensive book on the desert tortoise, this volume gathers a vast amount of information for scientists, veterinarians, and resource managers while also remaining useful to general readers who keep desert tortoises as backyard pets.
	www.uapress.arizona.edu /books/bid1467.htm (0 words)

	Desert Tortoise Recovery Office
		The desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) is found throughout the Mojave Desert of California, Nevada, Arizona, Mexico, and Utah.
		A new Desert Tortoise Recovery Office (DTRO) based at the Service’s Nevada Fish and Wildlife Office in Reno, Nevada, has been established to address population declines and focus on recovery of the species.
		The establishment of the DTRO is the result of strategies arising from the General Accounting Office's December 2002 audit of recovery actions for the Desert Tortoise (external link) and the October 2004 Desert Tortoise Recovery Plan Assessment.
	www.fws.gov /nevada/desert_tortoise (0 words)

	ADW: Gopherus agassizii: Information
		Female desert tortoises provide their young with yolk, which not only sustains them while the eggs incubate, but which provides the hatchlings with enough energy for six months--enough to sustain them in case they are not able to feed before hibernating.
		Desert tortoises are active spring to fall, hibernating during winter, though the timing of activity varies by habitat.
		Desert tortoises use a larger portion of their overall home range during the spring or summer months when they are most active.
	animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu /site/accounts/information/Gopherus_agassizii.html (2660 words)

	WERC: Desert Tortoise Research at WERC (Site not responding. Last check: )
		Desert Tortoise Ecology Studies for Habitat Conservation Planning in Clark County, Nevada
		Effectiveness of a barrier fence at reducing mortality and recovering desert tortoise populations
		Geographic variation and environmental determinants of reproductive output in the desert tortoise
	www.werc.usgs.gov /tortoise (139 words)

	Availability of the Record of Decision (ROD) Document on the Issuance of an Incidental Take Permit To Allow Incidental ...
		The desert tortoise is only part of the desert ecosystem, and unless the various species of plants and animals which co-inhabit that system are likewise preserved, the status of the desert tortoise is likely to decline.
		The permit application was accompanied by the Short-Term Habitat Conservation Plan for the Desert Tortoise in the Las Vegas Valley, Clark County, Nevada, and an implementation agreement that identified specific measures to minimize and mitigate the effects of the action on desert tortoises.
		The amendment authorized the disturbance of 8,000 additional acres of desert tortoise habitat within the existing permit area, but did not authorize an increase in the number of desert tortoises allowed to be taken under the existing permit.
	www.epa.gov /fedrgstr/EPA-SPECIES/1995/July/Day-21/pr-335.html (0 words)

	desert tortoise
		The Desert Tortoise is one of only 40 species of land-dwelling tortoises found on earth.
		The Desert Tortoise is 8 to 15 inches long and has a high-dome shell, usually with prominent growth lines on the shields on both the top and bottom parts of shell.
		The Desert Tortoise is easy to track, assuming you can find their tracks.
	www.scenicdrive.org /cgturtle.htm (367 words)

	The Desert Tortoise (DesertUSA)
		The tortoises' decline began primarily with loss of habitat from cattle grazing on the delicate desert grasses that are the base of the tortoise diet and then human encroachment on desert land.
		Currently, the tortoises' main survival danger is raven predation on hatchlings and the upper respiratory disease syndrome (URDS) which is believed to have been introduced into the wild population in the early 1980's.
		The Joshua Tree Tortoise Rescue's dedicated volunteers spend almost all their spare time in outreach programs teaching local residents – from pre-school children to seniors – not to handle or touch a desert tortoise they may find in their area.
	www.desertusa.com /june96/tortoiserescue.html (0 words)

Try your search on: Qwika (all wikis)