sonoran desert tortoise scientific name

It was originated around 50 million years ago. Grasses form the bulk of its diet, but it also eats herbs, annual wildflowers, and new growth of cacti, as well as their fruit and flowers. The Sonoran Desert tortoise (Gopherus morafkai), or Morafka's desert tortoise, is a species of tortoise native to the Sonoran Desert.. Taxon history. It was a mature Sonoran Desert tortoise. The tortoise was considered to be Gopherus agassizii (Agassiz’s desert tortoise) prior to it being renamed […] The main feature of the Desert Tortoise is the high and patterned shell. A Sonoran Desert tortoise was named Gopherus morafkai in 2011 for David Morafka who conducted research on them in the Mojave Desert. Sonoran Desert Tortoise (Gopherus morafkai) The scientific name honors Joseph Morafka for his work with tortoises. Shakespeare's Juliet once famously pondered "what's in a name," and the answer would be $100,000 in the case of the recently discovered Goode's Thornscrub Tortoise (or Gopherus evgoodei in the Latin), a species native to the area of southern Sonora, western Chihuahua and northern Sinaloa, Mexico. Male begin hibernation sooner and emerge later than females. Biotic factors of the desert consists of bacteria, protozoa, mice, birds, and various insects. Species Biology and Needs The Sonoran desert tortoise (Gopherus morafkai) (tortoise) occurs in various habitat types, mainly rocky outcrops along the base of mountain ranges and, to a limited degree, in intervening lands, in parts of Arizona in the United States and Sonora in Mexico. This book presents the first comprehensive summary of the natural history, biology, and conservation of the Sonoran and Sinaloan desert tortoises, reviewing the current state of knowledge of these creatures with appropriate comparisons to Mohave tortoises. Southwest North America in the Mojave and Sonoran deserts. The new species name is in honor of the late Professor David Joseph Morafka of California State University, Dominguez Hills, in recognition of his many contributions to the study and conservation of Gopherus. Common and Scientific Names 1. Scientific Name: Gopherus agassizii Family: Testudinidae Adult Size: 10 to 14 inches long, 8 to 10 pounds Range: Mojave and Sonoran deserts of southern California, southern Navada and Arizona with some isolated populations in Mexico. The desert tortoise shares such extreme conditions of their habitat that no other tortoise in America does. Although the Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service presented a finding in the Federal Register in 2015 that G. morafkai was neither threatened nor endangered, the Arizona Game and Fish Department classify it as a Tier 1b “Species of Greatest Conservation Need.” Under Arizona State law, it is unlawful to harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, collect, or release captives of G. morafkai into the wild. G. agassizii is distributed in western Arizona, southeastern California, southern Nevada, and southwestern Utah. They are Agassiz's desert tortoise and Morafka's desert tortoise. Specific locations: a. Arizona b. Figure 4. 2. In this post, I’d like to tell you about the Sonoran Desert Tortoise. The desert tortoise is found primarily in the Sonoran Desert and Mojave Desert. Pp. Scientific Name: Gopherus agassizii: Desert Tortoise. The tortoise has powerful limbs covered with thick scaly skin for digging … And, the survival rate for hatchling to adulthood is estimated to only be between 2 and 5%. (2012, pp. These are slow-growing and long-lived tortoises that have changed little during the past 200 million years. Changed: Mojave Desert Tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) and the Sonoran Desert Tortoise (Gopherus morafkai) to Agassiz's Desert Tortoise and Morafka's Desert Tortoise. It was a mature Sonoran Desert tortoise. G. agassizii has gone through a litany of scientific name changes since first being described in 1863. Abiotic factors in the desert are wind, water, sand, air temperature, and sunlight. Even if u set a tent up for two days the tortoise would have been disturbed and not known what to do with itself. This tortoise has adapted to the extreme environment of the Sonoran Desert. These reptiles can live to be up to 80 years old in the wild. Updated October 2015 Mating occurs during the early monsoon season, typically between June and early August during which mature males develop two large white glands around their chins. In the Sonoran Desert it's very hot and dry, and the ground is very sandy. This puts the tortoise under greater risk of death due to excessive water and electrolyte loss. It has a shell that’s narrower in shape than the Gopherus agassizii. Tortoises (/ ˈ t ɔːr. Because I am a reptile, I can dig underground. The list is available alphabetized by scientific or by common name. Scientific name: Gopherus agassizii; Type of animal: Reptile, order Testudines; Where found: Mojave Desert; Conservation status: Vulnerable; Today, the desert tortoise is also known as the Mojave Desert tortoise in order to distinguish it from the closely-related Sonoran desert tortoise Gopherus morafkai. Scientific Name Desert Tortoise: Gopherus Agassizii Distribution and Habitat Geographic Range. It condenses a vast amount of information on population ecology, activity, and behavior based on decades of studying tortoise … Excellent anti-inflammatory very useful with asthma, chronic autoimmune conditions, gut inflammation. Sonoran Desert Tortoise (Gopherus morafkai) The scientific name honors Joseph Morafka for his work with tortoises. The desert tortoise is found inhabiting the vast sandy plains and rocky foothills that are in and surround both the Mojave and Sonoran deserts. The Sonoran Desert tortoise is a herbivore with grasses composing the bulk of their diet. G. agassizii is distributed in western Arizona, southeastern California, southern Nevada, and southwestern Utah. Federal Register: Endangered and threatened Wildlife and Plants; 12-Month Finding on a Petition to List Sonoran Desert Tortoise as an Endangered or Threatened Speceis: U.S. Qualitative map of Sonoran Desert Tortoise habitat and location of all Sonoran desert tortoise sign detected within the study area for the SR 202L (Portion of map in black represents private lands where access was not granted). The Desert Tortoise is closely related to the Texas Tortoise, the Bolson Tortoise, the Sonoran Desert Tortoise, and the Gopher Tortoise. That, in fact, is a good rule to follow with all wild creatures who share their desert with us. While Gila monsters are thought to be the primary predator of young, soft shelled Sonoran Desert tortoises other reptiles, arthropods, birds and mammals also contribute to their low survival rate. review of all available scientific and commercial information, we find that listing the Sonoran population of the desert tortoise is warranted. The name Gopherus refers to the ability of species in the genus to excavate burrows which have been reported to be as long as 40 feet. [2], Murphy, Berry, Edwards, Leviton, Lathrop, and Riedle, 2011, Phylogenetic arrangement of turtles based on, California State University, Dominguez Hills, "Turtles of the world, 2017 update: Annotated checklist and atlas of taxonomy, synonymy, distribution, and conservation status(8th Ed. Photo 3: Front leg of a Sonoran Desert tortoise showing the well-developed claws and sharp flat scales on the front leg used for digging burrows. Even wind and solar farms are recognized as posing significant threats to the habitat and survival of desert tortoises. The carapace, or upper shell, of G. morafkai is high domed with distinct growth rings and can range in color from tan and various shades of brown to dark gray and nearly black. To 33° North and 105° to 118° West to excessive water and electrolyte loss g.... 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