Gopherus agassizii

gopher

Gopherus agassizii (commonly called Mohave desert tortoise) is a large - slow moving - terrestrial desert turtle native to the state of California and Nevada in the USA. The species is listed as Vulnerable on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List. Being listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List means that the species is facing a high risk of extinction in the wild in the medium-term future. The population of Gopherus agassizii has declined due to human activity. This species is also long-lived (up to 80 years) and do not become sexually mature until 15-20 years of age, further contributing to the complexity of human disturbance impacts on this species (http://bit.ly/1hGxWyn).

Photo: Paige Jarreau
Haiku: Steph Januchowski-Hartley