A Sonoran Desert Tortoise cruising around the rocky outcrop it calls home each Winter. It shares the space with a few Western Diamondback Rattlesnakes and at least one Gila Monster … and a beehive.
Sonoran Desert Tortoise On The Move
Tag: tortoise
Sonoran Desert Tortoise in the Big Horn Mountains
A Sonoran Desert Tortoise resting in the shade in on a hot morning in the Big Horn Mountains of western Arizona. These tortoises become nocturnal during the hottest parts of summer, moving and eating after dark and returning to their deep caves by the time the sun hits the area again.
Sonoran Desert Tortoise In Burn Area
A young Sonoran Desert Tortoise making its way down a hillside in the early spring.
About a month later, fire tore through the area. While it can’t be known if this tortoise, or the Gila Monster resting a few meters away, survived, a return visit to the area later in the season makes it doubtful. Now, a year later, the only thing alive on the hill are the invasive grasses which fuel the issue. With OHV in mass numbers and target shooting unrestricted and controls unenforced, the region has been quickly converted to a sea of dead grass and revolving burns.
