Desert Tortoise : Photos, Diagrams & Topos : SummitPost

Comments

Anya Jingle - Jun 7, 2007 10:11 pm - Voted 10/10

Great photo!

They are so rare to see. Nice close up.
I like this pic even better than the first one you posted.

Bob Sihler - Jun 8, 2007 2:06 pm - Hasn't voted

Re: Great photo!

Thank you, Anya! I considered myself so lucky to see it. My wife took a bunch of pictures, too. It's the only one we've ever seen. I didn't even think it was the desert tortoise at first-- I expected them to be larger (thinking of those Galapagos guys, I guess)-- I found out later looking through a field guide.

Bob Sihler - Jun 8, 2007 2:02 pm - Hasn't voted

Re: turtles

Thank you, Fred, not just for commenting but also for sharing that story; it's great when something we see makes a personal connection. Maybe that's why I love the mountains, and this site, so much.

By the way, look for a PM about Wyoming soon.

dpk - Sep 16, 2007 11:24 pm - Voted 10/10

we've adopted

these are cool to see in the desert -
I am a former arizona resident and adopted desert tortoise in tucson - here is a related link to copy & paste
www.desertmuseum.org/programs/tap_tortnathistory.html

Bob Sihler - Sep 17, 2007 4:35 pm - Hasn't voted

Re: we've adopted

Thanks for that link. At first, I have to admit I was bothered by the idea of people taking in a threatened species from the wild, but I checked out the link and read about the program, which seems to be a good one. One thing I couldn't glean is what the overall objective is-- just to help keep the species going or to ultimately restore the animals to their habitat. So I'm curious about that. Nevertheless, were I living in AZ, I'd be interested in participating in the program.

cp0915 - Sep 17, 2007 4:54 pm - Voted 10/10

Re: we've adopted

Good stuff. I've looked into adopting as well. Unfortunately, I haven't made the commitment yet. A noble cause, I think.

dpk - Sep 23, 2007 9:55 am - Voted 10/10

Re: we've adopted

good point, I think the program is to help preserve the species but typically adopted reptiles are rarely released back into the wild since they can actually harm the gene pool with disease. I guess the theory is it's better to have some in captivity and live instead of dying.

dpk - Sep 23, 2007 9:58 am - Voted 10/10

Re: we've adopted

it is a commitment for sure - they have many requirements for proper health. You cant just through a handful of lettuce at them and leave em be. There temperature needs to be regulated and their diet carefully monitored. I agree it is a good cause - I would encourage you to research it some more if you decide to adopt, i supsect you'll never re-gret it. Most likely ours will out live us!