Mojave Desert Tortoise

• comportamientoIt digs burrows several metres deep to escape the desert extremes, and those same burrows are reused by other species.
• It stores water in its bladder for months and reabsorbs it as needed: that is why a Mojave desert tortoise should never be picked up off the ground, because the fright makes it void its bladder and it may die of dehydration before the next rain.
• It spends more than ninety per cent of its life in burrows it digs itself, and those tunnels give shelter to desert owls, lizards, snakes and rodents.
• It can survive more than a year with no access to standing water, taking it only from the plants it eats.

Skeleton type

Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton with a shell (reptile)

Habitat and environment

The Mojave Desert and arid plains of the south-western United States and north-western Mexico

Sexual maturity

15.1 years

Gestation / incubation

3.9 months

Litter / clutch size

8

Sources consulted: Wikipedia (es): Gopherus agassizii

The pins mark the parks where its presence is documented.