California State Reptile
Desert Tortoise (common name) Gopherus agassizii (scientific name) Overview The desert tortoise became the official state reptile of California in 1972. Students at the Benjamin Bubb School in Mountain View found that the state had no official reptile and suggested to Assemblyman Richard D. Hayden of Sunnyvale that the situation be remedied. The desert tortoise is a species of tortoise native to the Mojave Desert and Sonoran Desert of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. It can reach a length of 10–14 inches (25–36 cm), with males being slightly larger than females. 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. Desert tortoise populations in some areas have declined by as much as 90 percent since the 1980s, and the Mojave population is listed as threatened. It is unlawful to touch, harm, harass, or collect wild desert tortoises. Close-up STATUS Official ALSO KNOWN AS Snapper, common snapper, ograbme PHYSICAL DETAILS Male tortoises have larger tails compared to females, and a lower shell that is concave. Tortoises have upper dome-shaped shells that are dusty brown to dark brown in coloration. Their front legs are larger and flatter and are designed for digging, while the back legs are short and stumpy.    Males Females Size Length: 9–15 in (22.9–38.1 cm) Height: 4–6 in (10.2–15.2 cm) Length: 9–15 in (22.9–38.1 cm Height: 4–6 in (10.2–15.2 cm) Weight 8–15 lbs (3.6–6.8 kg) 8–15 lbs (3.6–6.8 kg) LIFESPAN Up to 80–100 years HABITAT Mojave and Sonoran Deserts of southeastern California, southern Nevada, south through Arizona into Mexico. Conservation: Threatened. It is unlawful to touch, harm, harass, or collect wild desert tortoises. DIET Herbs, grasses, wildflowers OFFSPRING Breeding interval: 2–3/year Hatching period: August–October; incubation of 90-120 days Average nest size: 4-8 eggs Sexual Maturity: 15-20 years TRIVIA The desert tortoise is able to live where ground temperature may exceed 140°F. 95% of a desert tortoise's life is spent in underground burrows. Adult tortoises may survive a year or more without access to water. Much of the tortoise's water intake comes from moisture in the grasses and wildflowers they consume in the spring.
	Click to enlarge an image Desert Tortoise Close-up Couple of Desert Tortoises Juvenile Desert Tortoise California Desert Tortoise CLASSIFICATION Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Sauropsida Order: Testudines Suborder: Cryptodira Superfamily: Testudinoidea Family: Testudinidea Genus: Gopherus Species: G. agassizii
	Raw Data Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Author: World Trade Press