Desert Turtle Information

"Desert turtle" may refer to one of two species of the family Testudinidae--the Desert Box Turtle and the Desert Tortoise. Both are native to the southwestern United States and Mexico.

Size

Desert Box Turtle (public domain)

Desert box turtles can be up to 14 inches long, and desert tortoises are 9 to 15 inches long. Males are generally larger than females.

Diet

Desert box turtles are omnivores, eating plants, insects and sometimes carrion. Desert tortoises are strictly herbivorous, subsisting on grasses, flowers, herbs and some species of cacti.

Breeding

Desert tortoises mate in the spring and fall, and the female may produce two to three clutches of eggs per year, with each clutch containing three to five eggs. Desert box turtles nest from May to July, and will produce one clutch of two to eight eggs.

Hibernation

Both desert box turtles and desert tortoises hibernate in burrows during the winter.

Life Span

Desert tortoises live much longer than desert box turtles, with the former living 80 to 100 years and the latter only living up to 25 years.

References

• Wildlife North America for more about the desert box turtle
• Desert USA website

Resources

• Box turtle information from the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
• Desert tortoise information