Desert Tortoise

View High-Resolution Image
Desert Tortoise

Desert Tortoise

This female is laying eggs behind our home (my first sighting). She uses her shell like a shovel and is digging quite a large area in a hard sand/clay mix. The Desert Tortoise,Gopherus agassizii, was listed as a threatened species April 2, 1990 by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Snow Canyon, UT, September, 2007.
Dow Williams
on Sep 17, 2007 1:06 pm
Image Type(s): Wildlife
Image ID: 337887

Comments

Post a Comment
Viewing: 1-5 of 5
cp0915

cp0915 - Sep 17, 2007 1:14 pm - Voted 10/10

In all my desert rambles...

I've never seen a desert tortoise in the wild. I'm envious.

Dow Williams

Dow Williams - Sep 17, 2007 1:38 pm - Hasn't voted

Re: In all my desert rambles...

well thanks for not bursting my bubble Courtney...remember how excited I was about my first wild tarantula! ....when you make it over, remind me to show you her nest, it is huge! and the clean shovel marks she makes in the hard pack, unreal....nature always impresses me with its work ethic

cp0915

cp0915 - Sep 17, 2007 3:40 pm - Voted 10/10

Re: In all my desert rambles...

Great stuff. I'd love to see it.

Diggler

Diggler - Sep 17, 2007 1:24 pm - Hasn't voted

Utah?

I thought that these things were just in SoCal. They're in other parts of the West too? Nice photo- cool!

Dow Williams

Dow Williams - Sep 17, 2007 1:42 pm - Hasn't voted

Re: Utah?

Actually created the Red Cliffs Desert Preserve in 1996 to primarily protect the Desert Tortoise among other species…..

Viewing: 1-5 of 5