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Gopherus
''Gopherus'' is a genus of fossorial tortoises commonly referred to as gopher tortoises. The gopher tortoise is grouped with land tortoises that originated 60 million years ago, in North America. A genetic study has shown that their closest relatives are in the Asian genus '' Manouria''. The gopher tortoises live in the southern United States from California's Mojave Desert across to Florida, and in parts of northern Mexico. Gopher tortoises are so named because of some species' habit of digging large, deep burrows (gophers are small terrestrial burrowing rodents). Most notably, ''Gopherus polyphemus'' digs burrows which can be up to in length and in depth. These burrows are used by a variety of other species, including mammals, other reptiles, amphibians, and birds. Gopher tortoises are in length, depending on the species. All six species are found in xeric habitats. Numerous extinct species are known, the oldest dating to the Priabonian stage of the Late Eocene of the Unite ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gopherus Evgoodei, Sonora, Mexico
''Gopherus'' is a genus of fossorial tortoises commonly referred to as gopher tortoises. The gopher tortoise is grouped with land tortoises that originated 60 million years ago, in North America. A genetic study has shown that their closest relatives are in the Asian genus ''Manouria''. The gopher tortoises live in the southern United States from California's Mojave Desert across to Florida, and in parts of northern Mexico. Gopher tortoises are so named because of some species' habit of digging large, deep burrows (gophers are small terrestrial burrowing rodents). Most notably, ''Gopherus polyphemus'' digs burrows which can be up to in length and in depth. These burrows are used by a variety of other species, including mammals, other reptiles, amphibians, and birds. Gopher tortoises are in length, depending on the species. All six species are found in xeric habitats. Numerous extinct species are known, the oldest dating to the Priabonian stage of the Late Eocene of the United ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gopherus Polyphemus
The gopher tortoise (''Gopherus polyphemus'') is a species of tortoise in the family Testudinidae. The species is native to the southeastern United States. The gopher tortoise is seen as a keystone species because it digs burrows that provide shelter for at least 360 other animal species. ''G. polyphemus'' is threatened by predation and habitat destruction. The gopher tortoise is a representative of the genus ''Gopherus'', which contains the only tortoises native to North America. The gopher tortoise is the state reptile of Georgia and the state tortoise of Florida. Etymology The specific name, ''polyphemus'', refers to the cave-dwelling giant, Polyphemus, of Greek mythology. Gopher tortoises are so named because of some species' habit of digging large, deep burrows like the gopher. Description The gopher tortoise is a fairly large terrestrial reptile which possesses forefeet well adapted for burrowing, and elephantine hind feet. These features are common to most tortoises ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Desert Tortoise
The desert tortoise (''Gopherus agassizii''), is a species of tortoise in the Family (biology), family Testudinidae. The species is native to the Mojave Desert, 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 Louis Agassiz, Jean Louis Rodolphe Agassiz. The desert tortoise is the official state reptile in California and Nevada. The desert tortoise lives about 50 to 80 years; 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 winte ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gopherus Agassizii
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 about 50 to 80 years; 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 free ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Texas Tortoise (Gopherus Berlandieri) (57391706)
The Texas tortoise (''Gopherus berlandieri''), is a species of tortoise in the family Testudinidae. The species ''G. berlandieri'' is one of six species of tortoises that are native to North America. Geographic range ''G. berlandieri'' is found from southern Texas southward into the Mexican states of Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas. Etymology The specific epithet, ''berlandieri'', is in honor of naturalist Jean Louis Berlandier, who worked for the Mexican government on one of the first biological surveys of Texas.Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . ("Berlandier's Tortoise ''Gopherus berlandieri'' ", p. 24). As such, some sources refer to it as Berlandier's tortoise. Biology The Texas tortoise, unlike other species of gopher tortoise, is not an adept burrower. Its preferred habitat is dry scrub and grasslands. Succulent plants, a preferred food of the Texa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gopherus Berlandieri
The Texas tortoise (''Gopherus berlandieri''), is a species of tortoise in the family Testudinidae. The species ''G. berlandieri'' is one of six species of tortoises that are native to North America. Geographic range ''G. berlandieri'' is found from southern Texas southward into the Mexican states of Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas. Etymology The specific epithet, ''berlandieri'', is in honor of naturalist Jean Louis Berlandier, who worked for the Mexican government on one of the first biological surveys of Texas.Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . ("Berlandier's Tortoise ''Gopherus berlandieri'' ", p. 24). As such, some sources refer to it as Berlandier's tortoise. Biology The Texas tortoise, unlike other species of gopher tortoise, is not an adept burrower. Its preferred habitat is dry scrub and grasslands. Succulent plants, a preferred food of th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gopherus Evgoodei
The Goode's thornscrub tortoise or Sinaloan thornscrub tortoise or Sinaloan desert tortoise or Goode's desert tortoise (''Gopherus evgoodei'') is a species of tortoise that is native to the Sinaloan desert region. First described in 2016, ''G. evgoodei'' inhabits Tropical Deciduous Forest and Sinaloan Desertscrub biomes in Mexico. Its range may overlap in the north with ''G. morafkai'', the Morafka's or Sonoran desert tortoise. Goode's thornscrub tortoise is named for Eric V. Goode, a conservationist, naturalist, and founder of the Turtle Conservancy Taxon history Bogert and Oliver were the first researchers to notice a distinct morphology in the southern range of what was then considered ''G. agassizii,'' but could not confirm a new species due to limitations of small sample size Edwards et al. sampled 233 tortoises that represented Sonoran and Sinaloan lineages of ''G. morafkai.'' The authors then conducted a large-scale genetic analysis that when combined with significant ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gopherus Flavomarginatus
The Bolson tortoise (''Gopherus flavomarginatus''), also called the Mexican giant tortoise or yellow-margined tortoise, is a species of tortoise from North America. Of the six North American tortoise species, it is the largest, having a carapace length of about . It lives in a region of the Chihuahuan Desert known as the Bolsón de Mapimí, which is located in north-central Mexico. Discovery The Bolson tortoise was discovered only in 1959. The legend is that a group of biologists working in the Bolsón de Mapimí were at a ranch and saw chickens eating out of a large tortoise shell. They inquired about the origin of the shell and the locals responded by saying that it was, "la tortuga grande del desierto", the big turtle of the desert. In 1979 the 340,000 hectare Mapimi Biosphere Reserve was created to protect the Bolson tortoise and other unique flora and fauna of the Bolsón de Mapimí. Despite this designation, cattle ranching and mining still occur in the reserve. Whether t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gopherus Morafkai
The Sonoran Desert tortoise (''Gopherus morafkai''), or Morafka's desert tortoise, is a species of tortoise native to the Sonoran Desert. Taxon history In 2011, on the basis of DNA, geographic, and behavioral differences between desert tortoises east and west of the Colorado River, it was decided that two species of desert tortoises exist: Agassiz's desert tortoise (''Gopherus agassizii'') and Morafka's desert tortoise (''Gopherus morafkai'').Genetic Analysis Splits Desert Tortoise into Two Species US Geological Survey (2011-06-28). Retrieved on 2019-08-22. ''G. morafkai'' occurs east of the Colorado River in Arizona, as well as in the states of |
Tortoise
Tortoises () are reptiles of the family Testudinidae of the order Testudines (Latin: ''tortoise''). Like other turtles, tortoises have a turtle shell, shell to protect from predation and other threats. The shell in tortoises is generally hard, and like other members of the suborder Cryptodira, they retract their necks and heads directly backward into the shell to protect them. Tortoises can vary in size with some species, such as the Galápagos tortoise, Galápagos giant tortoise, growing to more than in length, whereas others like the Chersobius signatus, Speckled cape tortoise have shells that measure only long. Several lineages of tortoises Giant tortoise, have independently evolved very large body sizes in excess of 100 kg, including the Galápagos tortoise, Galapagos giant tortoise and the Aldabra giant tortoise. They are usually Diurnality, diurnal animals with tendencies to be crepuscular depending on the ambient temperatures. They are generally reclusive animals. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tamaulipan Mezquital
The Tamaulipan mezquital ( es, Mezquital Tamaulipeco) is a deserts and xeric shrublands ecoregion in the southern United States and northeastern Mexico. It covers an area of , encompassing a portion of the Gulf Coastal Plain in southern Texas, northern Tamaulipas, northeastern Coahuila, and part of Nuevo León. Distribution The Sierra Madre Oriental range to the west separates the Tamaulipan mezquital from the drier Chihuahuan Desert. The Tamaulipan matorral is a transitional ecoregion between the mezquital and the Sierra Madre Oriental pine-oak forests to the west and the Veracruz moist forests to the south. The Western Gulf coastal grasslands, known as the Tamaulipan pastizal south of the border, fringe the Gulf of Mexico. The Edwards Plateau savannas lie to the north, and the East Central Texas forests and Texas blackland prairies to the northeast. Geography The Bordas Escarpment transects this ecoregion, running from near the southern limit northwest to the vicinity of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mojave Desert
The Mojave Desert ( ; mov, Hayikwiir Mat'aar; es, Desierto de Mojave) is a desert in the rain shadow of the Sierra Nevada mountains in the Southwestern United States. It is named for the indigenous Mojave people. It is located primarily in southeastern California and southwestern Nevada, with small portions extending into Arizona and Utah. The Mojave Desert, together with the Sonoran, Chihuahuan, and Great Basin deserts, forms a larger North American Desert. Of these, the Mojave is the smallest and driest. The Mojave Desert displays typical basin and range topography, generally having a pattern of a series of parallel mountain ranges and valleys. It is also the site of Death Valley, which is the lowest elevation in North America. The Mojave Desert is often colloquially called the "high desert", as most of it lies between . It supports a diversity of flora and fauna. The desert supports a number of human activities, including recreation, ranching, and military training. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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