Where can I find a captive desert tortoise?
The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum (520 883-3062, desertmuseum.org/programs/tap.html) in the Tucson Area is a state-sanctioned Adoption Facility. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife has an agreement with the California Turtle and Tortoise Club (CTTC) regarding the placement and care of captive tortoises.
Is there legal limit on number of desert tortoises in California?
While there is no legal limit to the number of desert tortoises a California resident may possess in state, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife strongly discourages having males and females together in captivity or breeding captive desert tortoises.
Can a desert tortoise be released into the wild?
The Arizona Game and Fish Department (AGFD) is the primary “adoption agency” for captive desert tortoises that cannot be released into the wild, because “captive tortoises can transmit diseases that can decimate Arizona’s wild populations.”
What kind of animal is a desert tortoise?
Desert tortoise. The desert tortoises ( Gopherus agassizii and Gopherus morafkai) are two species of tortoise native to the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico and the Sinaloan thornscrub of northwestern Mexico. G. agassizii is distributed in western Arizona, southeastern California,…
The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum (520 883-3062, desertmuseum.org/programs/tap.html) in the Tucson Area is a state-sanctioned Adoption Facility. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife has an agreement with the California Turtle and Tortoise Club (CTTC) regarding the placement and care of captive tortoises.
Is the desert tortoise an endangered species in California?
When frightened they will empty their bladder, and the loss of water can be fatal to the tortoise. The desert tortoise is a threatened species under the California state Endangered Species Act in 1989 and the federal Endangered Species act in 1990.
The Arizona Game and Fish Department (AGFD) is the primary “adoption agency” for captive desert tortoises that cannot be released into the wild, because “captive tortoises can transmit diseases that can decimate Arizona’s wild populations.”
Why does a desert tortoise have a domed shell?
Its domed shell provides a large space for its lungs and for efficient thermoregulation, an important adaptation for life in the desert. The Mojave Desert’s summers are harsh, making it difficult to be active, with temperatures reaching well above 105 degrees Fahrenheit (41 degrees Celsius) and with very little (if any) rain.
