The animals are also vulnerable to a range of deadly diseases such as upper respiratory illnesses and the shell disease cutaneous dyskeratosis, which softens their shells. Finally, as climate change ...

Spotting a Mojave Desert tortoise is increasingly difficult in the American Southwest. The tortoises, with their unmistakable domed patterned shells, live in California, parts of Nevada, Arizona and ...

For the desert tortoise, an approximately 1-foot-long reptile found in desert valleys across California and the American Southwest, a full lifespan can be up to 80 years. So while the Mojave National ...

The Tortoise Research and Captive Rearing Site at the Twentynine Palms Marine base shelters the young reptiles until their shells are tough enough to withstand raven attacks. The site is aimed at ...

In early January, the Eaton Fire destroyed the Eaton Canyon Nature Center and nearly all its beloved animals. Luckily, two slumbering desert tortoises survived thanks to the help of a longtime animal ...

State wildlife officials are adopting out captive desert tortoises and reminding Arizonans why pets cannot be released into the wild.