Abstract
Little is known regarding the activity of desert tortoises during winter, especially for the Sonoran Desert Tortoise (Gopherus morafkai). We observed adult, juvenile, and hatchling G. morafkai active during November, December, January, and February at 3 field sites in upland Sonoran Desert in central Arizona. At 1 site all individuals under observation (n=36), including males, females, and hatchlings, emerged from hibernacula to drink during the first heavy (>20 mm) rainfall event (December); at all 3 sites, females were observed active (basking, foraging) during winter much more frequently than were males.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 114-119 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | Chelonian Conservation and Biology |
| Volume | 13 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jul 2014 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
- Animal Science and Zoology
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Cite this
Sullivan, B., Averill-Murray, R., Sullivan, K. O., Sullivan, J. R., Sullivan, E. A., & Riedle, J. D. (2014). Winter activity of the Sonoran desert tortoise (Gopherus morafkai) in Central Arizona. Chelonian Conservation and Biology, 13(1), 114-119. https://doi.org/10.2744/CCB-1056.1