Desert tortoise  (Gopherus agassizii)

Species information

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Glossary

  • Aestivation: period of dormancy occurring in hot, dry periods, analogous to hibernation in winter.
  • Carapace: the top shell of a turtle. In arthropods (insects, crabs etc), the fused head and thorax (the part of the body located near the head) also known as ‘cephalothorax’.
  • Endemic: a species or taxonomic group that is only found in one particular country or geographic area.
  • Hibernate/ Hibernation: a winter survival strategy characteristic of some mammals in which an animal’s metabolic rate slows down and a state of deep sleep is attained. Whilst hibernating, animals survive on stored reserves of fat that they have accumulated in summer. In insects, the correct term for hibernation is ‘diapause’, a temporary pause in development and growth. Any stage of the lifecycle (eggs, larvae, pupae or adults) may enter diapause, which is typically associated with winter.
  • Plastron: in reptiles, the ventral shell of a turtle or tortoise.

References

  1. IUCN Red List (September, 2003) www.redlist.org
  2. Arizona Sonora Desert Museum (September, 2003) http://www.desertmuseum.org/programs/tap_tortoiseinfo.html
  3. Boarman, W.I. (2002) Desert Tortoise (Gopherus agassizii). In: Boarman, W.I. and Beaman, K. [ed]. The sensitive plant and animal species of the Western Mojave Desert. U.S. Geological Survey, Western Ecological Research Centre, Sacramento, CA. http://www.werc.usgs.gov/sandiego/pdfs/tortoiseaccount.pdf
  4. Desert Tortoise Preserve Committee (September, 2003) http://www.tortoise-tracks.org/
  5. Turtles of the World (September, 2003) http://emys.geo.orst.edu/
  6. California Bureau of Land Management (September, 2003) http://www.ca.blm.gov/ridgecrest/tortoise.html
  7. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (September, 2003) http://www.fws.gov/
  8. Desert Tortoise Council (September, 2003) http://www.deserttortoise.org/welcome.html
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