Desert Tortoise Research Paper

Desert Tortoise Endangerment
The Desert Tortoise, native to the Mojave Desert, is a threatened species. On average, the lifespan of a desert tortoise is between eighty and a hundred years. They grow to be about nine to fifteen inches long and four to six inches tall. Sexual maturity is reached at around fifteen years old. The desert tortoise’s habitat ranges from the Mojave desert in Colorado to the northern part of Mexico. With such a large span of habitat, it is hard to imagine that this long-living species are on the verge of becoming endangered. Therefore, it is a threatened species. Threatened is a step under endangered, meaning that a threatened species is a species at risk of becoming endangered.
Unfortunately, the desert tortoise has experienced a

The Desert Tortoise was named threatened in 1990. Plagued by many threats, the desert tortoise has had a tough time regaining their population. They are beleaguered by climate change, livestock grazing, invasive plants, off-road vehicles, illegal collecting, and more. Climate change has made food and water scarce for the desert tortoise. Drought was brought upon by the change in climate, making the already arid desert drier. The desert tortoise was already adapted to a lack of water, but not to the extent needed by the more recent changes in climate. Livestock grazing has contributed to the habitat loss of the desert tortoise, as well. Fields for livestock are created by the clearing of desert plants from an area. Sadly, where these clearings are once was a expansive and extensive desert ecosystem that has now been lost forever. Wistfully, invasive species make