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Tortoise mothers do not care for offspring after they lay their eggs.
photo: Tom Gillespie
Characteristics: The desert tortoise is typically 9-14 inches in length. They have flat front feet that are used to dig burrows for protection. When undisturbed, they can live to be more than 100 years old.
Diet: The desert tortoise is a herbivore that eats herbs, grasses and cacti. They obtain moisture from the vegetation they eat but they will drink water if it is available.
Reproduction: Females dig crescent-shaped depressions in the sand to lay eggs. They typically lay a clutch of 1-15 eggs a few times a year. Tortoise mothers do not care for offspring after they lay their eggs.
Environmental Connections: Often thought of as barren wastelands, deserts are actually rich ecosystems teeming with biodiversity. Desert plants and animals have developed unique ways to use sporadic, unpredictable rainfall to their advantage. Despite its adaptability, this fragile ecosystem can easily be thrown off balance.
Tortoises are excellent water conservationists. They store water in a large bladder and urine is excreted in solid form to prevent water loss.
One of the tortoises’ most important roles in the desert is seed dispersal. They carry undigested seeds with them and transplant them in new areas through their feces.
The desert tortoise is a docile animal that has been taken extensively for the pet trade. Beautiful scoots that cover their shells were once coveted for jewelry and hair ornaments. This exploited animal is now endangered.
Human encroachment threatens desert ecosystems globally. Water diversion for dams and hydroelectric plants deplete deserts of precious water. Overgrazing, human development and tourism destroy natural soils and vegetation needed to keep this ecosystem in balance.
Protecting the desert tortoise means preserving the habitats in which they live. No ecosystem stands alone so it is important that we work to protect ecosystems on a global level.
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N.C. Zoo is a member institution of AZA and an agency of the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources, William G. Ross Jr. Secretary; Michael F. Easley, Governor. A part of the North Carolina Government portal.
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