I scrambled to the high rocky ridge of a mountain in western Arizona, looking for rattlesnakes. The steep terrain and loose rocky ground made it difficult to get there. I was surprised to run into this big Sonoran Desert Tortoise (Gophersus morafkai) up there. These animals are great climbers, often picking hiding spots far up hillsides in places I wouldn’t even want to climb. We passed each other, and he headed down slope in what looked to be a dangerously steep area … but as I was the one slipping and sliding all over the place, I figured he knew what he was doing.
