Red Rock Canyon State Park Turtle Crossing - Nevada - Turtle Crossings on Waymarking.com

The desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) is a gentle reptile which spends much of its life in underground burrows. The burrows are excavated by the animals to escape the harsh summer and winter weather conditions of the desert..

The animal historically occupied a range that included the desert in southeastern California, southern Nevada, western and southern Arizona, southwestern Utah, and Sonora and northern Sinaloa, Mexico. Today, the creature's populations are largely fragmented, although it can be found in declining numbers in most parts of its former range.

Tortoise emerge from their burrows in late winter or early spring and in the autumn to feed and mate.

The reptile can be active during the summer if temperatures are moderate. The desert tortoise is the largest reptile in the southwest. Unlike other reptiles which are often feared by man, the desert tortoise is an appealing creature which has become a popular pet, perhaps to its detriment. One reason for its appeal is that the animal is not a threat, but rather a vegetarian, eating a wide variety of herbaceous vegetation. One of its treats is the flower of annual plants.


Unfortunately, the slow moving reptile is vulnerable to a number of threats which could led to the demise of the species . These concerns lead to a petition to the Fish and Wildlife Service in 1984 to consider listing the desert tortoise under the Federal Endangered Species Act. Additional information on the tortoise submitted to the Service in May 1989 led to an emergency ruling listing the tortoise as endangered on August 4, 1989. After further evaluation and public hearings, the tortoise was permanently listed as threatened on April 2, 1990.

Major problems which appear to affect the tortoise in all or part of its range include:

Loss or degradation of habitat because of off-road vehicles, military desert training maneuvers, various kinds of mineral extraction activities, grazing by cattle and sheep, and agricultural-residential development.

Taking of individuals for pets and other forms of collection. Also, some animals have been killed outright or their shells mutilated in acts of vandalism.

Excessive predation of juveniles by other species such as coyotes, foxes and ravens.

Fragmentation of populations because of urbanization, highways and various rights-of-way associated with electric transmission lines, pipelines, etc.

More recently a respiratory disease has been found in some tortoise populations, and it is suspected the disease may have been introduced by infected tortoise pets whose owners have returned them to the wild.

(source BLM>Nevada>District Offices>Southern Nevada District Office)

There is a $7.00 fee to enter the State Park

Species Link: [Web Link] How often turtles cross: Months most seen crossing: Early spring through autumn

Visit Instructions:
Describe what happened. Example
"Mother Blanding had made her nest between the goldenrod and bluestem outside my window late last June.
By chance we were sitting on the porch when we noticed little blandings in the same location we had seen the mother take 2 months earlier."

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