Range and habitats of the desert tortoise
Biology of North American Tortoises. National Biology Survey Technical Report Series, Fish and Wildlife Research, (1994)Abstract
We determined the current range of the desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii)
based on the available latest data from government agencies, the literature, and our
experience. We developed the first detailed range map of this species and summarized
information about habitat preferences. New records of occurrences were incorporated,
and some peripheral localities of questionable authenticity were deleted. The distribution
of G. agassizii covers the broadest range oflatitude, climatic regimes, habitats, and biotic
regions of any North American tortoise. The northern portion of its range is in the Mojave Desert of southeastern California, southern Nevada, southwestern Utah, and
northwestern Arizona. The central portion of the range consists of several subdivisions
of the Sonoran Desert in southeastern California, western and southern Arizona, and
western Sonora, Mexico. The southern edge of its range is in the semitropical Sinaloan
thornscrub and Sinaloan deciduous forest of eastern Sonora and northern Sinaloa,
Mexico. This species has marked geographic differences but seems to construct burrows
throughout its range.