Distribution, habitat and habits of the desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) in the eastern Mojave Desert

Conference · Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1990

OSTI ID:7101664

Esque, T C; Bury, R B ^[1]; Medica, P A ^[2]

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1. National Ecology Research Center, Fort Collins, CO (USA)
2. Reynolds Electrical and Engineering Co., Inc., Mercury, NV (USA)

The desert tortoise is widely distributed across most of southern Nevada below 1500 meters elevation and then ranges northeast into the Arizona Strip and southwestern Utah. There are several large populations, but also many isolated groups of desert tortoises due to the rugged topography and, possibly, unsuitable soils. We suggest that the greatest threats to tortoises in the eastern Mojave Desert are with peripheral populations. Tortoises in the eastern Mojave Desert occupy a wide variety of habitats from flats and bajadas in lower elevation to rocky slopes bordering on blackbrush and juniper woodland. In winter they use shallow burrows near Las Vegas but frequent deep caves in the northeast edge of their range. Tortoises in all areas may occur in steep, rocky habitats. Climatic extremes are frequent in this region and rainfall can be spotty due to several major mountain ranges that cause rain shadows. Forage is highly variable and this species can be an opportunistic herbivore. 11 refs., 13 figs.

• Research Organization: Reynolds Electrical and Engineering Co., Inc., Mercury, NV (USA)
• Sponsoring Organization: DOE/DP
• DOE Contract Number: AC08-89NV10630
• OSTI ID: 7101664
• Report Number(s): CONF-9006200-1; ON: DE90012517
• Resource Relation: Conference: 1990 American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists (ASIH) conference, Charleston, SC (USA), 16 Jun 1990
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
HABITAT
INFORMATION
REPTILES
DESERTS
FEDERAL REGION IX
NEVADA TEST SITE
PLANTS
POPULATION DYNAMICS
ANIMALS
ARID LANDS
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NORTH AMERICA
US DOE
US ORGANIZATIONS
USA
VERTEBRATES
540210* - Environment
Terrestrial- Basic Studies- (1990-)
550100 - Behavioral Biology