the mohave desert one of the hottest
driest and most barren deserts of North
America Webster's dictionary wants to
find desert as a desolate and forbidding
prospect but on the contrary the Mojave
Desert is a fragile place where a
variety of plants and animals unique to
this territory are commonly found the
state of the desert tortoise however
perhaps best of all represents the
delicate balance of desert life and its
interaction with man and nature
the desert tortoise can be found in the
western portion of Arizona southeastern
California and a small area of southern
nevada utah and mexico the tortoise
family has been in existence for 175
million years but a mere century or so
of living with humans may be proving too
much for them tortoises living in the
mojave desert are generally found below
the 4,000 foot level in joshua tree
communities creosote bush and saltbush
scrub habitats the burrows in which they
live protect them from the extreme
temperatures found in the desert
environment the Halfmoon like appearance
corresponds to the shape of their
shelves and can be anywhere from six
inches to 30 feet in depth
with the rebirth of spring Lee emerge
from their burrows when a climate brings
warmth and a feast of new annual plants
and wildflowers
in the wild desert tortoises can survive
70 years or more and grow to over one
foot in diameter reproduction of the
tortoises doesn't begin until 15 to 20
years of age the female lays between 1
and 15 eggs and then abandons the nest
these small hatchlings are born
approximately 90 days later with very
soft shells that will not become
completely hardened for about five or
six years and it is during this
relatively defenseless stage that they
fall prey to many animals consequently
there's slow reproductive cycle delicate
early years and destruction of their
habitat make it difficult to save this
frail species in 1990 the US Fish and
Wildlife Service listed the desert
tortoise has threatened under the
Endangered Species Act this listing was
prompted by severe population declines
caused by the loss of habitat from
off-road vehicles agriculture grazing
animals and urbanization destroying
their burrows and food supply people
collecting these interesting creatures
as pets exposing them to numerous
diseases and predation by Ravens coyotes
and Badgers are leading to their
potential demise
you
since the early 19th century urban
development has been deteriorating the
desert tortoise habitat urbanization is
expanding into regions of desert that
the tortoise is used to call home
since tortoises don't venture far from
their original territory they are not
likely to survive if relocated to areas
adjacent to develop regions once their
home is destroyed they too could perish
and while progress is an undeniable part
of our existence we still need to be
aware of our desert ecosystem and the
impact we are creating construction
crews are being urged to watch out for
the desert tortoise and other wildlife
before any construction project begins a
biological assessment is made in which
areas to avoid are highlighted with
ribbons and sometimes fencing crews are
asked to limit the amount of disturbance
within their project area check in
trenches and holes for any animals that
might have fallen in look under their
vehicles for tortoises that like to
escape from the Sun and discard all
trash to keep predators away if a
tortoise is spotted the project
supervisor and a wildlife biologist must
be notified immediately if a tortoise is
killed accidentally or otherwise the
project could be delayed following these
simple guidelines could aid in saving a
multi-million dollar project and an
entire species from extinction
agriculture has also stripped away vast
areas of desert environment and grazing
livestock are competing with the
tortoises food supply by feasting on the
same annual plants
the Raven a species common to the Mojave
Desert has become a major predator of
the tortoise over the past 40 years the
raven population has grown in response
to urbanization and increased feeding
opportunities at landfills many perceive
the desert to be indestructible however
the increasing popularity for desert
recreation has proven to be devastating
you
desert tortoise while you're out hiking
in the desert we urge you to take the
opportunity to watch a really unique
animal in its natural environment watch
what it does is it feeds is it is it
seek shelter maybe even makes a nest or
mates we would advise you to stay back
and not interfere with the tortoises
life pattern certainly we urge you not
to pick it up or harass it in any way
these animals are very delicate and and
even though they're Hardy in the sense
of being able to live in the desert they
they don't do well when handle if you do
happen to come across a tortoise that
appears to be an immediate danger like
this one approach slowly from the front
note the direction in which it is moving
gently pick it up placing your hand
under the belly for support and be
careful not to jostle or turn it over
then approximately 100 feet off the road
in a shaded area place the tortoise in
the same direction it was moving
protecting the desert tortoise and all
life in the ecosystem from extinction is
a responsibility we all must share
developing an awareness of the various
forms of life and existence is perhaps
the first step in this conservation
effort
biological research has indicated that
ecosystems can maintain themselves if we
preserve them as complex systems this
means all the parts of the system
whether plant or animal are
interconnected and must be preserved in
order to survive
the desert tortoise is only one animal
in the desert however it's burrows
provide habitat for other species it's
been here a lot longer than the human
race has probably dating back to the age
of the dinosaurs it's an indicator that
the health of the system is suffering
when we see declines in an animal like
this as we gain more insight into this
diverse biological world we live in we
also have the responsibility to preserve
it progress and technology have advanced
the human race to limitless capabilities
but imagine if we started taking parts
out of today's highly complex aircraft
take away one part too many and the
aircraft is destroyed in the mission
lost so too with our environment if one
part is missing like the desert tortoise
then our mission of maintaining a
healthy environment may be lost it is
not too late if we all do our part in
maintaining this delicate balance as we
continue to explore the unknown our
quest for knowledge did not interfere
with this miraculous web of life
you