Gopherus agassizii

(Cooper, 1861)

Vernacular names
English : Californian desert tortoise
French : Tortue du désert

Classification
Class : Reptilia
Order : Testudines
Family : Testudinidae
Notes : No subspecies known.

Identification
Adults can reach a carapace length of 36 cm for a weight of 23 kg. Shell is dorsally slightly flattened and each scale is slightly dome and heavily striated. Coloration from uniform grey to dark brown with clear blotches on carapace.

Range and habitat
The species occurs in North and Central America, from South West USA (California, Nevada, Arizona) to north-west Mexico (Baja California, Sonora). Lives in sandy flats, rocky foothills, canyons, arid grassland, up to 1400 m.

Conservation
IUCN RED LIST : CRITICALLY ENDANGERED
CITES : Appendix II
Status : The species is legally protected but it remains at risk from human expansion, loss and fragmentation of habitat, and vandalism.
Ex-Situ Programs : None known

Observation

 

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