1. Desert Tortoise
Caleb Buck

2. Description Land turtle with a brown 6 sided carapace
Lives in desert and waste areas
Diet- low laying plants and leaves
Active in the morning hours during summer and at night fall during the winter
Threatened species since August 20, 1980

3. Habitat Lives in the Mojave desert region
Prefers semi-arid grasslands, gravelly desert washes, canyon bottoms, and on rocky hillsides
Historically located in southeastern California, the southern tip of Nevada, extreme southwest Utah, and western Arizona
Drastic decrease in the California population and endangerment in Utah

4. History and Conservation
An average of 200 adult desert tortoises per square mile in the ‘50s
Original conservation started in 1971 in California City, CA (The Desert Tortoise Natural Area)
Mojave Desert population was considered endangered in 1989
1989 quarantined part of southwest, CA in the Ridgecrest County for a year
A program was developed to by the Navy to conserve the habitat in the Mojave area in 1997 protecting tortoises

5. Factors
Threats to the desert tortoise this far have been a result of humans
Main reasons for loss of population is loss of habitat, over collection, and destruction
Raven numbers have increased in desert areas which have been a large predator of the desert tortoise
Testing done by the Navy in parts of southwest California

6. Current State 100,000 Desert Tortoises estimated to be alive today
There are 5-60 adults per square mile
There has been over a 90% decrease in population size in certain areas since the 1950’s
Some of the tortoises alive today could be up to years in age
A lack of water in the Mojave Desert area has recently decreased the population

7. Results
I believe that overall the conservation of Desert Tortoises is a tough job. Considering most of the damage is in relation to humans, it is up to society to change. If people can begin to respect the habitat more, tortoises will have a chance of getting out of the threatened label. The results of conservation have been proven affective but still not enough to grow the population back to a previous state.

8. Works Cited
"Basic Facts About Desert Tortoises." Defenders of Wildlife. N.p., 10 Apr Web. 18 Nov "Desert Tortoise." Beacham's Guide to the Endangered Species of North America. Encyclopedia.com, n.d. Web. 17 Nov