Desert Tortoise Skull Replica

Description

Desert Tortoise Skull Replica measures 2 inches. The Desert Tortoise Skull Replica is museum quality polyurethane cast. Made in the USA. 2-part skull (separate cranium and jaw). Our precise skull can be used as a teaching tool, museum skull exhibit, home décor skull, or office décor skull.

The Desert Tortoise or Gopherus agassizii is a species of tortoise native to the Mojave Desert and Sonoran Desert of the southwestern United States and Northern Mexico. It is also known as the Mojave Desert Tortoise and Agassizs Desert Tortoise.

It can live from 50 to 80 years. The Desert tortoise is an herbivore (plant eater). It eats grasses, herbs, and a wide variety of desert plants.

The Desert Tortoise or Gopherus agassizii 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.  Gopherus agassizii can tolerate water, salt, and energy imbalances on a daily basis, which increases their lifespans.

Temperature strongly influences their activity level. Although Desert tortoises or Gopherus agassizii can survive body temperatures from below freezing to over 104 degrees F, most activity occurs at temperatures from 79 to 93 degrees F.

The influence of temperature is reflected in daily activity patterns, with Desert tortoises often active late in the morning during spring and fall, early in the morning and late in the evening during the summer, and occasionally becoming active during relatively warm winter afternoons. The activity generally increases after rainfall.

Although Desert tortoises or Gopherus agassizii spend the majority of their time in shelter, movements of up to 660 feet per day are common.

The common, comparatively short-distance movements presumably represent foraging activity, traveling between burrows, and possibly mate-seeking or other social behaviors. Long distance movements could potentially represent dispersal into new areas or use of peripheral portions of the home range.

Desert Tortoise Facts:

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Testudines
Suborder: Cryptodira
Superfamily: Testudinoidea
Family: Testudinidae
Genus: Gopherus
Species: G. agassizii
Binomial name: Gopherus agassizii
Conservation status: Vulnerable

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