Mojave Desert Tortoises by Pelf Nyok:
But we were very lucky 🙂 We managed to see 5 desert tortoises (Gopherus agassizii) on that particular day, and one of them was spotted on the dirt road (not in the burrow)!
Desert tortoises are thought to live 40 – 60 years. They grow relatively slowly and adult females are larger than adult males (for obvious reasons). They typically breed from April to June and the female tortoises lay between 1 and 11 eggs. Incubation period for eggs varies from 80 to more than 100 days.
Pelf is experiencing a turtle conservation training and tour of the USA (see Turtle Camps in Malaysia). Her blog is doing a great job showing they made a good selection in choosing her for the scholarship.
Related: Ageless Turtles – Backyard Wildlife: Turtle – Long-Eared Jerboa
I came here from Pelf’s site because I love cats (curious cat!) and was surprised to find this science blog. Love it and will direct kids towards it in my next article about science blogs – I’m a writer in Malaysia….