The desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) is known for being
able to survive a year or longer without water.
In order to stay hydrated, these tortoises are capable of storing water
in their bladders, and able to use that water to rehydrate when needed. Most of the water the tortoises store comes
from consuming wildflowers and grass during the springtime after rainfall. Desert tortoises are also known for digging deep, underground burrows in the sand in order to
stay out of the heat and hide from predators for long periods of time.
A news article from The Press-Enterprise reports that desert
tortoises may be threatened due to drought in the Mojave Desert. The Mojave Desert, located in Southeastern
U.S., is home to the desert tortoise.
It’s been reported that the past couple years have been noticeably dry
in the desert. Vegetation does not
easily grow during times of drought. If
desert tortoises are incapable of finding plants and wildflowers to eat, they
then become dehydrated. More and more
tortoises are coming up dead from dehydration and starvation, are becoming
inactive, and are more likely to obtain respiratory infections. Also, during times of drought, small animals
begin to move away, putting the tortoises at a higher risk for predation.
Another dry year is predicted to affect the desert tortoises
even more. Studies are still being
conducted to predict just how long a desert tortoise may live in this drought
condition.
STACY MANSON/NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
[Desert tortoises at Joshua Tree National Park return to
their burrow, where they spend about 95 percent of their time to escape extreme
temperatures.]
2 comments:
Interesting and relevant. I hope they get some much-needed rain!
I would like to see how activity levels change between years with lots of rain and little rain. With lots of rain, they aren't at risk for dehydration, plenty of nearby food, and more small animals for other predators to eat. In years with little rain, they may have to travel more to find food and escape predators.
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