Little is known regarding the activity of desert tortoises during winter, especially for the Sonoran Desert Tortoise (Gopherus morafkai). We observed adult, juvenile, and hatchling G. morafkai active during November, December, January, and February at 3 field sites in upland Sonoran Desert in central Arizona. At 1 site all individuals under observation (n = 36), including males, females, and hatchlings, emerged from hibernacula to drink during the first heavy (> 20 mm) rainfall event (December); at all 3 sites, females were observed active (basking, foraging) during winter much more frequently than were males.
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1 July 2014
Winter Activity of the Sonoran Desert Tortoise (Gopherus morafkai) in Central Arizona
Brian K. Sullivan,
Roy Averill-Murray,
Keith O. Sullivan,
Justin R. Sullivan,
Elizabeth A. Sullivan,
J. Daren Riedle
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Chelonian Conservation and Biology
Vol. 13 • No. 1
July 2014
Vol. 13 • No. 1
July 2014