Desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii)
Kingdom: Animalia
Class: Reptilia
Order: Testudines
Family: Testudinidae
Listing Status: (and others listed below)
General Information
Gopherus agassizii is terrestrial, with a domed shell and round, stumpy elephantine hind legs. The front limbs are flattened for digging and heavily scaled without webbed toes. The carapace (upper shell) is oblong and domed with the sides round due to joining of the carapace and plastron (lower shell). The scute centers are often yellowish which have grooved concentric rings. The plastron is also yellowish, with brown along the scute margins. The head is small and rounded in front with reddish-tan coloring and the iris being greenish-yellow. The front and hind feet are about equal in size and the tail is of short length (Behler/King, 1979).
Population detail
The FWS is currently monitoring the following populations of the Desert tortoise
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This map represents our best available information about where a species is currently known to or or is believed to occur; however, it should NOT be used as an official species list for Section 7 Consultation purposes. To obtain an official species list for this purpose, please visit the Information, Planning, and Conservation (IPaC) System (click here: http://ecos.fws.gov/ipac)
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Population location: Entire, except AZ south and east of Colorado River, and Mexico
Listing status: Threatened
- States/US Territories in which this population is known to or is believed to occur: Arizona , California , Nevada , Utah
- US Counties in which this population is known to or is believed to occur: View All
- USFWS Refuges in which this population is known to occur:
CIBOLA NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, DESERT NATIONAL WILDLIFE RANGE, HAVASU NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, IMPERIAL NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE
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Population location: AZ south and east of Colorado River, and Mexico, when found outside of Mexico or said range in AZ
Listing status: Similarity of Appearance (Threatened)
- States/US Territories in which this population is known to or is believed to occur: Arizona , California , Nevada , Utah
- US Counties in which this population is known to or is believed to occur: View All
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Population location: Sonoran
Listing status: Candidate
- States/US Territories in which this population is known to or is believed to occur: Arizona
- US Counties in which this population is known to or is believed to occur: View All
- Countries in which the this population is known to occur: Mexico
- For more information: http://www.fws.gov/Nevada/desert_tortoise/dt_life.html
Status | Date Listed | Lead Region | Where Listed |
---|---|---|---|
08/20/1980 | California/Nevada Region (Region 8) | U.S.A., except in Sonoran Desert | |
04/02/1990 | California/Nevada Region (Region 8) | outside/taken from Sonoran Desert | |
Southwest Region (Region 2) | Sonoran |
» Candidate Information
Current Candidate Status
Date | Citation Page | Title |
---|---|---|
10/26/2011 | 76 FR 66370 66439 | Review of Native Species That Are Candidates for Listing as Endangered or Threatened; Annual Notice of Findings on Resubmitted Petitions; Annual Description of Progress on Listing Actions |
11/15/1994 | 59 FR 58982 59028 | ETWP; Animal Candidate Review for Listing as Endangered or Threatened Species. |
11/21/1991 | 56 FR 58804 58836 | ETWP; Animal Candidate Review for Listing as Endangered or Threatened Species; 56 FR 58804 58836 |
01/06/1989 | 54 FR 554 579 | ETWP; Animal Notice of Review; 54 FR 554 579 |
09/18/1985 | 50 FR 37958 37967 | Review of Vertebrate Wildlife; Notice of Review; 50 FR 37958-37967 |
» Action Plans
Date | Title |
---|---|
09/23/2009 | Desert tortoise Spotlight Species Action Plan |
» Recovery
Recovery Plan Information SearchDate | Title | Plan Action Status | Plan Status |
---|---|---|---|
05/06/2011 | Revised Recovery Plan for the Mojave Population of the Desert Tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) | View Implementation Progress | Final Revision 1 |
Date | Citation Page | Title | Document Type |
---|---|---|---|
08/26/2011 | 76 FR 53482 53483 | Notice of Availability of a Revised Recovery Plan for the Mojave Population of the Desert Tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) | |
05/25/2011 | 76 FR 30377 30382 | Initiation of 5-Year Reviews of Species in California, Nevada, and the Klamath Basin of Oregon | |
08/04/2008 | 73 FR 45236 45238 | Notice of Availability of Draft Revised Recovery Plan for Mojave Population of the Desert Tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) | |
03/05/2008 | 73 FR 11945 11950 | Initiation of 5-Year Reviews of 58 Species in California and Nevada; Availability of Completed 5-Year Reviews in California, Nevada and Southern Oregon |
Date | Title |
---|---|
09/30/2010 | Mojave Population of the Desert Tortoise 5-Year Review |
» Critical Habitat
Date | Citation Page | Title | Document Type | Status |
---|---|---|---|---|
02/08/1994 | 59 FR 5820 5866 | ETWP; Determination of Critical Habitat for the Mojave Population of the Desert Tortoise | Final Rule | Final designated |
08/30/1993 | 58 FR 45748 45768 | ETWP; Proposed Determination of Critical Habitat for the Mojave Population of the Desert Tortoise | Proposed Rule | Not Required |
08/20/1980 | 45 FR 55654 55666 | ETWP; Listing as Threatened With Critical Habitat for the Beaver Dam Slope Population of the Desert Tortoise in Utah | Final Rule | Not Required |
12/07/1979 | 44 FR 70680 70682 | ETWP; Reproposal of Critical Habitat for Two Species of Turtles | Proposed Rule | Not Required |
08/23/1978 | 43 FR 37662 37665 | Proposed Endangered Status and Critical Habitat for the Beaver Dam slope Population of the Desert Tortoise; (Gopherus agassizii) | Proposed Rule | Not Required |
To learn more about critical habitat please see http://criticalhabitat.fws.gov
» Conservation Plans
HCP Plan Summaries |
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Cal. Dept. of Corrections Statewide Electrified Fence Project |
Clark County - Desert Tortoise, Short-Term (6 permittees) |
Clark County - Desert Tortoise, Short-Term, Amendment/Extension (5 permittees) |
Clark County Multiple Species HCP (7 permittees) |
Coachella Valley Multi-Species HCP |
CCA Plan Summaries |
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Spring Mountains National Recreation Area |
» Petitions
Date | Citation Page | Title | Finding |
---|---|---|---|
10/26/2011 | 76 FR 66370 66439 | Review of Native Species That Are Candidates for Listing as Endangered or Threatened; Annual Notice of Findings on Resubmitted Petitions; Annual Description of Progress on Listing Actions | |
12/14/2010 | 75 FR 78094 78146 | 12-Month Finding on a Petition To List the Sonoran Population of the Desert Tortoise as Endangered or Threatened; Proposed Rule | |
08/28/2009 | 74 FR 44335 44344 | 90-Day Finding on a Petition To List the Sonoran Population of Desert Tortoise (Gopherus agasizzii) as a Distinct Population Segment (DPS) With Critical Habitat | |
06/27/1991 | 56 FR 29453 29455 | ETWP; 12 Month Finding on a Petition to List the Sonoran Desert Tortoise as Threatened or Endangered; 56 FR 29453 29455 | |
12/05/1985 | 50 FR 49868 49870 | Finding on Desert Tortoise Petition; 50 FR 49868-49870 |
» Life History
No Life History information has been entered into this system for this species.
» Other Resources
NatureServe Explorer Species Reports -- NatureServe Explorer is a source for authoritative conservation information on more than 50,000 plants, animals and ecological communtities of the U.S and Canada. NatureServe Explorer provides in-depth information on rare and endangered species, but includes common plants and animals too. NatureServe Explorer is a product of NatureServe in collaboration with the Natural Heritage Network.
ITIS Reports -- ITIS (the Integrated Taxonomic Information System) is a source for authoritative taxonomic information on plants, animals, fungi, and microbes of North America and the world.