Desert tortoise

Not to be confused with Sonoran Desert tortoise.

Desert tortoise
Agassiz's desert tortoise, "G. agassizii"
Agassiz's desert tortoise, G. agassizii
CITES Appendix II (CITES)[2]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Testudines
Suborder: Cryptodira
Superfamily: Testudinoidea
Family: Testudinidae
Genus: Gopherus
Species:
G. agassizii
Binomial name
Gopherus agassizii
(Cooper, 1863)
Synonyms[3]
  • Xerobates agassizii Cooper, 1863
  • Testudo agassizii — Cope, 1875
  • Xerobates agassizi [sic] Garman, 1884 (ex errore)
  • Gopherus agassizii — Stejneger, 1893
  • Testudo aggassizi [sic] Ditmars, 1907 (ex errore)
  • Testudo agassizi — Ditmars, 1907
  • Gopherus agassizi — V. Tanner, 1927
  • Testudo agasizzi [sic] Kallert, 1927 (ex errore)
  • Gopherus polyphemus agassizii — Mertens & Wermuth, 1955
  • Gopherus agassiz [sic] Malkin, 1962 (ex errore)
  • Gopherus polyphemus agassizi — Frair, 1964
  • Geochelone agassizii — Honegger, 1980
  • Scaptochelys agassizii — Bramble, 1982
  • Scaptochelys agassizi — Morafka, Aguirre & Murphy, 1994

The desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) is a species of tortoise in the family Testudinidae. The species is native to the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, and to the Sinaloan thornscrub of northwestern Mexico.[4] G. agassizii is distributed in western Arizona, southeastern California, southern Nevada, and southwestern Utah.[4] The specific name agassizii is in honor of Swiss-American zoologist Jean Louis Rodolphe Agassiz.[5] The desert tortoise is the official state reptile in California and Nevada. [6]

The desert tortoise lives about 50 to 80 years;[7] it grows slowly and generally has a low reproductive rate. It spends most of its time in burrows, rock shelters, and pallets to regulate body temperature and reduce water loss. It is most active after seasonal rains and is inactive during most of the year. This inactivity helps reduce water loss during hot periods, whereas winter brumation facilitates survival during freezing temperatures and low food availability. Desert tortoises can tolerate water, salt, and energy imbalances on a daily basis, which increases their lifespans.[8]

  1. ^ Berry, K.H.; Allison, L.J.; McLuckie, A.M.; Vaughn, M.; Murphy, R.W. (2021). "Gopherus agassizii". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2021: e.T97246272A3150871. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-2.RLTS.T97246272A3150871.en. Retrieved February 19, 2022.
  2. ^ "Appendices". CITES. Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. May 4, 2023. Retrieved May 11, 2023. Note: Protected as a member of the Testudinidae.
  3. ^ Uwe Fritz; Peter Havaš (2007). "Checklist of Chelonians of the World". Vertebrate Zoology. 57 (2): 280. doi:10.3897/vz.57.e30895. S2CID 87809001.
  4. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference eol was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Gopherus agassizii, p. 2).
  6. ^ "Gale - Product Login". galeapps.gale.com. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
  7. ^ "Desert Tortoise Life History".
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference fed was invoked but never defined (see the help page).