The state legislature designated the desert tortoise
(Gopherus agassizi) as the official California State Reptile in 1973.
The desert tortoise grows to ten to fourteen inches long and can
be found in dry, sandy areas throughout southeastern California.
Like its distant relative, the giant tortoise of the Galapagos Islands,
the desert tortoise has a brown, dome-shaped shell and thick, stumpy
legs.
A protected species, the desert tortoise is remarkably
long lived if not removed from its native habitat. It typically feeds
at dawn and dusk and lies in a shallow burrow throughout the day,
sometimes sharing its underground home with the occasional rattlesnake
or owl.
