Gopherus agassizii
Silhouette: Andrew A. Farke · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
The desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) is a species of tortoise in the family Testudinidae. The species is native to the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, and to the Sinaloan thornscrub of northwestern Mexico. G. agassizii is distributed in western Arizona, southeastern California, southern Nevada, and southwestern Utah. The specific name agassizii is in honor of Swiss-American zoologist Jean Louis Rodolphe Agassiz. The desert tortoise is the official state reptile in California and Nevada.
The desert tortoise lives 70 to 80 years on average; it grows slowly and generally has a low reproductive rate. It spends most of its time in burrows, rock shelters, and pallets to regulate body temperature and reduce water loss. It is most active after seasonal rains and is inactive during most of the year. This inactivity helps reduce water loss during hot periods, whereas winter brumation facilitates survival during freezing temperatures and low food availability. Desert tortoises can tolerate water, salt, and energy imbalances on a daily basis, which increases their lifespans.
In 2011, on the basis of DNA, geographic, and... Wikipedia →
Recording0:02
United States · 2024
© hj-07496 · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joshua Tree National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Death Valley National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Diego Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | North Carolina Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Tulsa Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | San Diego Zoo Safari Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Living Desert Zoo and Gardens | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Nashville Zoo at Grassmere | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Phoenix Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Central Florida Zoo and Botanical Gardens | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Louisville Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 11 | Bioparque Municipal Vesty Pakos | 🇧🇴 Bolivia | |
| 12 | Santa Ana Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 13 | Happy Hollow Park & Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 14 | Henry Vilas Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 15 | The Living Planet Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 16 | Zoologico Caliente | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 17 | ZooAmerica | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 18 | Phillips Park Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 19 | Turtle Bay Exploration Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 20 | Curiosity Farms | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 21 | Gilcrease Nature Sanctuary | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 22 | Tracy Aviary | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 23 | Lion Habitat Ranch | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 24 | Orange County Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 25 | Sierra Safari Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 26 | Adventure Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 27 | Charles Paddock Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 28 | Montebello Barnyard Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 29 | Monterey Bay Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 30 | Wildlife Learning and Conservation Center | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 31 | Birch Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 32 | Cabrillo Marine Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 33 | Lindsay Wildlife Experience | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 34 | Palo Alto Junior Museum and Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 35 | Sea Life Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 36 | Tennessee Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 37 | The Reptile Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 38 | Acuario Inbursa | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 39 | Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 40 | California Wildlife Center, Malibu | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 41 | Heal the Bay Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 42 | Kung Fu Corals | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 43 | Luna Park Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 44 | ResQue Ranch Inc. | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 45 | Selig Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 46 | Shambala Preserve | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 47 | The Mirage Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 48 | Universal City Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States |
No species of the same family or order lives in Joshua Tree National Park, so these are its closest relatives here: other reptiles.
Likely
About 50% of wildlife watchers report an Agassiz’s Desert Tortoise sighting in Joshua Tree National Park on a given day, based on 607 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 11th most-seen of the 39 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March
In that month about 60% of wildlife watchers report an Agassiz’s Desert Tortoise in Joshua Tree National Park on a given day, against about 20% in July, the lowest month.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Agassiz’s Desert Tortoise sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Agassiz’s Desert Tortoise sightings, Joshua Tree National Park has the highest daily chance: about 50%. Next come Death Valley National Park (United States, about 40%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Agassiz’s Desert Tortoise is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Joshua Tree National Park (607 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
