Mojave Max Makes Her 2009 Spring Debut

At 1:52p.m. on February 24, Mojave Max Made Her 2009 Spring Debut. An early awakening which usually happens in March. Just another indication that global warming affects all living creatures. California’s Mojave Max is a female desert tortoise of approximately 30 year of age that had been slumbering through the winter in her burrow at The Living Desert in Palm Desert, California. The exact environmental triggers for a desert tortoise to emerge from hibernation (technically called brumation in reptiles) are not known, but they are likely factors associated with more hospitable tortoise conditions on the surface, such as warm weather and the promise of tasty and succulent spring wildflowers.

Warning! Recent rain has been sufficient to cause tortoise burrows to flood or the soil to become saturated with water and collapse on tortoises or on unoccupied places. This causes obstructions that tend to become very firm when they dry.

We strongly suggest that you check inside your burrows using a strong flashlight at night or reflected sunlight during the day. If the tortoise is in a puddle or you cannot see the tortoise (and the burrow is wet), remove it from the burrow to continue its winter sleep in a dry, cold place.

Question for the month….. “What if we had no moon?”