For nearly 150 years the desert tortoise was thought to be one single species, but recently, new studies have confirmed that desert tortoises do in fact have two separate and different species.
The Gopherus Agassizii lives in the deserts of southwestern United States and into Mexico and represents the species that live on the north and west side of the Colorado River. This is the Desert Tortoise habitat.
The new species of desert tortoise is named Morafka’s desert tortoise. Their natural habitat ranges from Arizona and stretches down into Mexico too, but they live on the opposite side of the Colorado River.
The main difference between the two is their preferences for burrows. While Agassiz’s tortoise likes to dig holes in the soil in desert valleys, Morafka’s tortoise will look for burrows under rock crevices along stony hillsides.
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Interesting Facts About Desert Tortoises
Unfortunately, these animals are considered threatened under the United States federal Endangered Species Act. Because of their inclusion in the Endangered Species list, you can’t take them from their habitat and keep them as pets, nor should captive desert tortoises be let out into the wild.
This seems counterintuitive, but captive-bred tortoises often carry illnesses they are immune to that could decimate native populations. Not to mention, wild-bred tortoises won’t know how to find food, water, or shelter on their own. Always look for reputable breeders, and if for some reason you are unable to care for pets, seek out other owners who will provide ample care for them.
In captivity, these tortoises can live between 60 to 80 years! When you pick a desert tortoise as a pet, you’re taking on a companion that will be with you for an entire lifetime.
The desert tortoise drinks through its nose! This adaptation allows them to drink from the smallest of rain puddles because their nose sticks out a little farther than their mouths.
Desert Tortoise Subspecies
Agassiz’s Desert Tortoise
- Experience Level: Intermediate to Expert
- Family: Testudinidae
- Scientific Name: Gopherus agassizii
- Other Names: Mojave desert tortoise, desert tortoise, Agassizi’s tortoise
- Adult Size: 9 to 14 inches
- Lifespan: 35 to 80 years
- Average Price Range: $200 to $700
Morafkai’s Desert Tortoise
- Experience Level: Intermediate to Expert
- Family: Testudinidae
- Scientific Name: Gopherus morafkai
- Other Names: Mojave desert tortoise, desert tortoise, Morafkai’s tortoise
- Adult Size: 9 to 14 inches
- Lifespan: 35 to 80 years
- Average Price Range: $200 to $700
They Spend a Lot of Time in Their Burrow.
Desert tortoises live in some of the hottest areas in the United States. They can withstand soil temperatures as high as 140℉, but in order to survive such a harsh environment, they hide in their burrows most of their lives. The desert tortoise is most active after heavy rains.
Desert tortoises are able to regulate their body temperatures and conserve water by hiding in their burrows most of the time.
To regulate calcium levels, desert tortoises will sometimes eat dirt. They choose to burrow sites in areas that are high in calcium so they can get the essential nutrient easily when they need to.
Why Are Desert Tortoises Endangered?
The main reasons desert tortoises are endangered is because of habitat destruction and human encroachment, but there are several other reasons these tortoises are endangered. Non-native plants introduced into their environment, roads, drought, and fires are all threatening their numbers.
Loss of Habitat
The major reason they are on the decline is the loss of habitat. Not only are humans taking over their habitat by building houses and other buildings, but roads are a major disturbance to their livelihood. Tortoises move too slowly to get out of the way of vehicles, and roads disturb their movements.
With the introduction of roads in the desert tortoises’ habitat, they can get lost easily, and it makes it harder for them to find mates. The desert tortoise doesn’t mate often, and when it’s difficult to find a mate, their numbers decline even more.
Invasive Plant Species
Invasive species of grasses and other plants introduced to the desert can throw off the fragile ecosystem. The plants native to the deserts are perfect for tortoise diets because they hold plenty of water and nutrients they need to survive, but lately, invasive grasses have been showing up in the deserts.
The non-native plants can choke out native species and prevent desert tortoises from getting enough water and nutrients. When this happens the native species have a hard time finding food. In desert environments where food can already be scarce, this makes it even more difficult to survive.
Droughts, Fires, and Other Reasons
The desert is already dry, and oftentimes barren place, but when a severe drought hits the desert, the desert tortoise has a hard time finding food. Droughts can also bring the threat of wildfires. Even though the desert tortoise may be able to find shelter in a burrow, smoke, or extreme heat can take them out.
Off-road vehicles are a small cause of desert tortoise decline as well. With newer technology in vehicles, more people are making their way to the desert to try out new vehicles. These vehicles not only can run over the slow-moving tortoises, but they can damage their habitat.
Disease is another reason desert tortoises are on the decline. A desert tortoise can outlive their owners, and sometimes surviving family members don’t have the time, knowledge, or patience to take care of another pet, so they mistakenly release them into the wild thinking they are helping them out.
Captive-bred tortoises have different immune systems and better medical care than wild Desert Tortoise population. So when pets are accidentally or otherwise introduced into the wild, a disease that doesn’t harm the pets can be devastating to wild desert tortoises.
You wouldn’t think so, but ravens have become a strain on the native tortoise population. Ravens are very smart birds, and their numbers have exploded in recent years. One of the latest tricks these birds have figured out is how to wait for and hunt desert tortoise babies.
Ravens will feed on the babies and eggs if they can find them. Ravens will perch on power poles where they have a great view beneath them and easily fly down and eat baby desert tortoises. They eat so many babies that they have caused significant population decreases.
What Does the Desert Tortoise Eat?
In the wild, desert tortoises eat a wide range of plants and cactus. They are herbivores, meaning they feed exclusively on plant matter. Some of their favorite foods include prickly pear cactus, hibiscus, desert marigold, primrose, globemallow, and other cactus.
They prefer veggies that contain a lot of water since it may be several months between rains. In fact, some desert tortoises will go an entire year between actual drinks of fresh water, so they have to conserve water and eat very juicy plants to survive.
These reptiles are essential parts of the desert environment because they help to spread seeds as they forage. Many plant seeds don’t break down in the desert tortoise digestive system and come out whole when they poop. This helps to start the next generation of plants in the desert.
The desert tortoise does not have any teeth, instead, it bites through tough plant matter with a sharp beak, and grinds its food into pieces small enough to swallow.
How Long Can a Desert Tortoise Go Without Food?
How long a desert tortoise can go without food has many variables. It depends on if the tortoise is hibernating (going through brumation), the age of the tortoise, as well as the average ambient temperature, and the overall health of the tortoise.
A young or juvenile tortoise needs to eat much more frequently than an older, established tortoise. Young tortoises can only go about a week or two between eating, while a healthy adult, under the perfect circumstances, could survive for several months, possibly up to a year without eating.
For desert tortoises as pets, adults need to be fed about five times per week, and skip two days out of the week. If food is offered every day, they could easily become overweight. Because they come from a desert habitat, they are programmed to eat when they find food.
What Animals Prey on the Desert Tortoise?
The desert tortoise has plenty of predators, especially when they are first hatched. Baby tortoises are left to fend for themselves, as mother tortoises don’t stick around after laying eggs. As they get older, the desert tortoise becomes too big for most predators, but there are those that still feed on them.
Snakes, Gila monsters, kit foxes, coyotes, and badgers all feed on tortoise eggs. Baby tortoises—which are only about the size of a ping-pong ball and have softer shells—are preyed upon by skunks, snakes, ravens, foxes, roadrunners, bobcats, badgers, and coyotes.
If they make it to adulthood, the predator pool dramatically decreases but still, badgers, golden eagles, bobcats, mountain lions, and coyotes will feed on them. These predators usually go after other prey such as hares and rodents, but when these food sources are not plentiful, they will turn to the slow-moving tortoise.
How Big Does a Desert Tortoise Get?
A baby desert tortoise is only about two inches long, give or take a few fractions, but they can grow to be about 9 to 15 inches long from tip to tip of the top shell. They can stand up to 14 inches tall and weigh about 8 to 15 pounds.
They grow very slowly though, and baby’s shells don’t fully harden until they are between 5 and 8 years old. They average about an inch of growth per year, reaching sexual maturity between 14 and 20 years old. It’s true that tortoises don’t get in a hurry.
How to Tell the Age of a Desert Tortoise
There’s a myth that has been going around for quite some time that says if you count the rings of a turtle’s shell, you can tell its age. That method has been debunked. A turtle’s shell constantly grows and will grow thicker with better food, and will grow thinner rings when it’s hibernating or doesn’t get enough food.
Sometimes the shell can get eroded, especially along the sides or the top if they are rubbing against hard objects, and they typically grow two rings per year, but not always. By counting the rings on a tortoise/turtle scute and dividing by two you can get a rough estimate, but it’s by no means very accurate.
Scientists and herpetologists can guestimate the age of a wild tortoise by measuring its size, weight, and hardness of the shell, but that’s still not exact. The only exact way to tell a tortoise’s age is by calculating its birthdate or contacting the breeder.
We have a guide with all the ways to estimate a tortoise’s age, but again nothing is exact with those methods.
How Cold is too Cold for a Desert Tortoise?
Unless they are hibernating, anything below 50℉ is too cold for your desert tortoise. Desert tortoise pets should have plenty of time outdoors when the temperatures are between 75 and 95℉, but bring them inside when nighttime temperatures start dipping to 50℉ or lower.
What Does the Desert Tortoise Symbolize?
The desert tortoise is the largest land-dwelling turtle in the United States and is the state reptile for both California and Nevada. When people see the desert tortoise they often think of American deserts as these slow-moving reptiles have been inhabiting the dusty deserts for millions of years.
In Native American cultures, the tortoise represents longevity and endurance. As a spirit animal, it also represents the qualities of wisdom, healing, fertility, safety, and protection.
In spiritual circles, the tortoise represents the above qualities as well as being grounded. The tortoise does not inhabit the water, instead, it lives its life on the ground, and often underground in the protection of its burrow, which adds the quality of being grounded.
FAQs
Does the desert tortoise make a good pet?
A: The desert tortoise can make for a great, and lifetime companion for those reptile enthusiasts who have experience with turtles and reptiles.
Can desert tortoises stay indoors?
A: Desert tortoises need plenty of natural light and fresh air—12 to 14 hours of daylight. While they can be brought in during the winter if you don’t want them to brumate, the desert tortoise really needs a lot of outdoor time and space.
Do desert tortoises recognize their owners?
A: Tortoises are intelligent creatures and will eventually get to know their caretakers. They can learn to recognize your scent, your voice, and your movements. Tortoises can often come to their owners and follow them around once they have learned to recognize them.
Wrapping It Up
The desert tortoise is listed as threatened because of habitat loss, a plethora of predators, and climate change. While it is illegal to take them from their natural habitat, you can own one if you look for quality, ethical captive breeder.
If you have one or want to get one, have a look at our guide on how to build a desert tortoise habitat, like this you’re informed on creating the right environment for him or her.
They are unique, very long-lived pets that will be with you for many years to come. They aren’t for beginners though, because they need plenty of outdoor space and certain temperature requirements. Be sure to do plenty of research before deciding on owning one of these majestic desert dwellers.
Liz knapp
Monday 3rd of January 2022
I want to get a desert tortoise from someone that wants to rehome one. I live in Cedar Park Texas and I really want to get one , either a rehome one or buy one if possible.
Liz knapp
Tuesday 9th of August 2022
@Liz knapp, I want to get a desert tortoise. My address is 1301 w Whitestone blvd apt 139 Cedar park Texas 78613.
Hi
Sunday 3rd of March 2019
I am a tortoise fan Lol