In Arizona, the Sonoran desert tortoise primarily inhabits rocky, steep slopes and bajadas of Mojave Desertscrub and the Arizona Upland and Lower Colorado River subdivisions of Sonoran Desertscrub at elevations up to 4,200 feet (1280 meters).

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The Sonoran Desert tortoise (Gopherus morafkai), or Morafka's desert tortoise, [3] [4] is a species of terrestrial chelonian reptile of the family Testudinidae (tortoises) native to the Sonoran Desert.

2024年1月2日 · Here at Saguaro National Park, you will encounter the Sonoran Desert Tortoise. This species is now considered separate from the Mojave Desert Tortoise, though the differences in their shells may not be obvious to you.

In California, the desert tortoise is most often found in open washes in creosote-bush flats. The eastern Sonoran Desert populations most often occur in rocky canyons and hillsides. It is most common in the desert, but also occurs in tropical deciduous forest and some grassland habitats.

The Sonoran desert tortoise is native to the Sonoran deserts of Arizona and northwestern Mexico. In the U.S., it is distributed in western, northwestern, and southern Arizona. In Pima County, the desert tortoise is found in many areas below approximately 4,200 feet in elevation, where it prefers rocky hillslopes and washes.

2023年5月24日 · One of the most loved species in Arizona is the Sonoran desert tortoise. Of the U.S. species, 90% of their breeding range is in Arizona. That means that their continued survival — or surthrival (not just surviving, but thriving), as coined by our Conservation Programs Director, Trica — is largely dependent on how they do in Arizona.

Arizona has two native species of tortoise, the Sonoran desert tortoise, Gopherus morafkai; and the Mojave desert tortoise, Gopherus agassizii. The desert tortoise is an herbivorous and completely terrestrial turtle with a brown, high-domed shell and stout, elephantine legs.

Released pet tortoises will compete with Sonoran Desert tortoises for resources, introduce disease into wild populations, and they’ll also hybridize, harming the gene pool. People paint tortoise shells, which can irritate them and expose them to predators.

Consider yourself fortunate if you have ever spotted a Sonoran desert tortoise in the wild! These seldom-seen animals are vital to the desert ecosystem, providing food for other species as well as shelter through the burrows they dig.