11/12/2022 0 Comments Access the desert cobra packFew young tortoises make it to adulthood. Hatchlings may lunge forward and hiss if disturbed. They typically lay eggs between May and July, and hatchlings emerge from eggs from mid-August to October.Ī mother does not defend the nest or raise her offspring instead, after 90 to 120 days of incubation, the young hatch and fend for themselves. They can store sperm until conditions are right, eventually laying 2 to 14 eggs the size of Ping-pong balls in a shallow nest they dig near their burrow. Female desert tortoises do not mate until they are 15 to 20 years old. This aids in the repopulation of native plants and grasses in the Mojave Desert.ĭuring the active season, males spar for the privilege of breeding, using their gular horn (part of the plastron lying beneath the extended head) to hook other males and overturn them during aggressive interactions. Desert tortoises need about 20 to 30 days to digest their food, spreading the seeds from their meals across their habitat as they poop. Examples of preferred tortoise forage are prickly pear cactus, primrose, beavertail cactus, white clover, hibiscus, globemallow, desert dandelion, and desert marigold. These foods contain a lot of moisture, and desert tortoises can go for up to one year without access to fresh water! Tortoises do not have teeth instead, they have a beak and grind their food. After foraging, tortoises may plop down in a limp, spread-eagle posture with limbs and neck extended, possibly to increase body temperature and help digestion.ĭesert tortoises are herbivores, dining on grasses, flowers, fruit, and cactus. During the active season, they move across their home range to forage, using multiple burrows as needed. Rainfall and temperature control the tortoises’ movements desert tortoises are most active in spring, early summer, and fall before the colder weather sets in. One record showed 17 tortoises using the same winter den! Several tortoises can occupy one den at the same time, especially during brumation. Normally one burrow houses a single individual, or one male and one female.ĭesert tortoises may also create a den or cave, dug horizontally into the banks of dry washes and extending 8 to 30 feet (2.4 to 9 meters). From ground level, they extend down about 3 to 4 feet (1 to 1.2 meters), typically at a 45-degree angle. Interestingly, other wildlife such as pack rats, burrowing owls, kangaroo rats, desert jackrabbits, gopher snakes, banded geckos, and cactus wrens also use tortoise burrows. Badgers, skunks, ground squirrels, ravens, Gila monsters, and roadrunners can prey on juvenile tortoises and tortoise eggs. Coyotes and kit foxes prey on adult tortoises. They then devour vegetation with great relish!īurrows also protect the tortoises from predators. Come spring, tortoises emerge and bask in the warm sun to jump-start their metabolism. During the winter, when food is scarce, tortoises brumate, a form of reptilian hibernation, in their burrow with a wall of dirt at the entrance to keep out the rain and cold for the entire winter season. These cold-blooded critters are the same temperature as their surroundings, so their burrow allows them to keep cool in the hot temperatures. By spending so much time underground, they are able to survive on very little food. Another water-saving tactic is storing up to 40 percent of its body weight in water inside the bladder, to be absorbed as necessary.ĭesert tortoises live in underground burrows. The tortoise remembers where these “watering holes” are and walks directly to them after a bit of rain. Cleverly, the tortoise digs basins in the soil to catch the infrequent rain that falls. Large, cone-shaped scales on the limbs provide protection from scratchy vegetation the tortoise may encounter and help it retain water. Yet the desert tortoise is well adapted to deal with such extreme weather by going into estivation (decreased physiological activity) in a burrow during the extreme heat of the summer.Ī tortoise’s front limbs work like shovels, with long, sturdy nails that are good for digging. The Mojave Desert’s summers are harsh, making it difficult to be active, with temperatures reaching well above 105 degrees Fahrenheit (41 degrees Celsius) and with very little (if any) rain.
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