Our Desert Tortoise

Not every California resident cruises the fast lane. The desert tortoise, which is able to travel up to one-fourth of a mile per hour, prefers to stay put. Also called gopher tortoise, it spends about 95 percent of its life in burrows it digs to escape the soaring heat, and freezing cold, of its habitat—the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts of southeastern California and elsewhere.

The desert tortoise, named the official State Reptile of California in 1972, is characterized by a high-domed shell up to fifteen inches long, columnar legs that are heavily scaled, and flat-shaped front limbs for digging.  It has good “compass direction,” good eyesight and an excellent sense of smell, but cannot swim.  Its diet consists of grasses, herbs, wildflowers, the fruit and flowers of new-growth cacti, and some shrubs. Much of its water intake comes from the moisture in these sources that appear in the spring. An adult can survive up to a year without access to water; and desert tortoises go to water only to drink or bathe when the infrequent rainfall collects in pools near rocks or depressions.

Ancient beings, these reptiles have existed on Earth almost unchanged for millions of years, with life spans of 50 to 80 years. They do vocalize, with hisses, pops, and “poink” sounds. Except for mating, they are solitary creatures, and males are territorial.

Now listed as a threatened species—it is illegal to touch, harm, or harass a wild desert tortoise—the population has decreased by 90 percent since the 1980s due to habitat loss, disease, and the desert’s natural predators. Natural breeding behavior adds to the problem. Females don’t breed until they are 15 to 20 years old, and then may only lay eggs when forage is adequate, a precondition endangered by mining, livestock grazing, off-road vehicles, and development. Ravens, Gila monsters, kit fox, badgers, roadrunners, coyotes and Fire Ants prey on tortoise eggs and soft-shelled juveniles.

The fact is, danger surrounds them from several sources, so it is hardly surprising that today, only 2-3 percent of desert tortoise hatchlings live to adulthood.