The Desert Tortoise by Clayton Nadeau

The Mojave Desert Tortoise (Gopherus agassizii)

                               By Clayton Nadeau

A little about the desert tortoise

The desert tortoise is the largest land turtle in the United States. Mature males range in size from 4" to 6" high, and 9" to 15" long. They eat cacti, grasses and wildflowers. They can store 40% of their body weight in their bladder. They live up to 50 years in the wild. They begin reproducing between the ages of 12 and 20, and lay from 1 - 14 eggs in the late spring and summer. The mother leaves the nest, so the hatchlings are left to survive on their own.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desert_tortoise

Where they live

The Mojave population of the desert tortoise encompasses a specific area that is north and west of the Colorado River in the states of Arizona, Utah, Nevada and California. These tortoises live at sea level and up to 3,500 feet. They live in a variety of types of habitat, from flat, sandy areas, to rocky foothills. Mostly they like sloped areas with sandy soil and lots of diverse perennial plants. They live 95% of their life underground.

Photo https://currencewiki.wikispaces.com/Ava+Wallace+-+Desert+Tortoise

Geographic and Population Changes

In the 1950's the desert tortoise population averaged a minimum of 200 adults per square mile. Recent evaluations show 5 - 60 adults per square mile. Their environment has been affected by a number of things, including urban development, construction of roads and highways, wildfire, livestock grazing, landfills, and military operations. Energy development projects are also an issue, reducing their space to exist.

http://www.endangeredspeciesinternational.org/deserttortoise.html

Listing Date

The official status of the desert tortoise is Threatened under the Endangered Species Act. In 1989, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service declared the species endangered due to an urgent request from environmentalists. The recovery plan was first published in June of 1994. There is a moderate degree of threat and a low potential for recovery. This is due to their compromised habitat and low rate of reproducing.

Photo http://adventuresofthetruckinduo.blogspot.com/

Listing cause / threats to existence

The cause of the listing was the drastic reduction in the population of the desert tortoise. The main threat to the continued existence of the desert tortoise is how we as humans usurp the land of their habitats. For the most part, this includes conflict between nature and human economic development. Below is a photo of a solar power plant in the Mojave Desert, which has destroyed the environment of the desert tortoise.

Recovery Plan

The recovery plan outlines that while the threat to the desert tortoise is real, there is not a lot of data available to evaluate the threats with specific data. The revised recovery plan emphasizes the necessity to develop further understanding of specific threats, as well as understanding them on a broader scale.

We can help!

• Visit The Rain Forest Site and sign a petition to try and stop BrightSource Energy from building a solar plant in the Mojave Desert, which would further disrupt their environment. http://therainforestsite.greatergood.com/clickToGive/trs/petition/DesertTortoise 
• Adopt a tortoise on the Defenders of Wildlife website. Or check out their Wildlife Action Center to send messages to government leaders. http://www.defenders.org/desert-tortoise/what-you-can-do 
• Visit the Save the Desert Tortoise Facebook page to stay up to date on what's happening to this endangered species.

Citations / Websites to check out...

"Basic Facts About Desert Tortoises". http://www.defenders.org. Web 27 November 2106. 

Butler, Kiera. "Big Solar's Death Panels". http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2011/03/solar-panels-desert-tortoise-mojave. Web 27 November 2106.

"Mojave Desert Tortoise". http://www.fws.gov/Nevada/desert_tortoise/dt/dt_life.html. Web 27 November 2106.

Newman, Shane. "Desert Tortoise". http://www.animalspot.net. Web 27 November 2106.

"Saving the Desert Tortoise". http://www.biologicaldiversity.org. Web 27 November 2106.

Stringfellow, Kim. "Gopherus agassizii: A Cultural History of Tortoises". http://www.mojaveproject.org. Web 27 November 2106.