How to Use desert tortoise in a Sentence
desert tortoise
noun-
Species like the Sonoran desert tortoise can’t flee the fast-moving fire.
—Erin Stone, azcentral, 22 June 2020
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Each container holds about six of the 69 desert tortoises that came from the zoo.
—Jake Frederico, The Arizona Republic, 17 Apr. 2023
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Locals says the base knows every desert tortoise and jackrabbit that hops the fence.
—Matt Blitz, Popular Mechanics, 23 Mar. 2023
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Few species are equipped to handle a hot and dry climate better than the desert tortoise.
—Luke Runyon, azcentral, 9 Feb. 2020
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But desert tortoises don’t care if a place looks cool to humans.
—Sammy Roth, Anchorage Daily News, 2 July 2023
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The researchers posit that this is because the ticks came off desert tortoises, which don’t contract the fever.
—Karla Moeller, Slate Magazine, 27 June 2017
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To beat the heat, the desert tortoise builds underground tunnels in the sand, spending 95 percent of their lives there.
—Allison Futterman, Discover Magazine, 1 June 2022
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Using their sharp nails and strong legs, the desert tortoise can effectively dig tunnels that reach up to 30 feet in length.
—Allison Futterman, Discover Magazine, 1 June 2022
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Several times a day, zookeepers at the Phoenix Zoo hose down desert tortoises.
—Nicole Sganga, CBS News, 1 Aug. 2023
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The Sonoran desert tortoise relies on such bursts in forage to survive in its arid homeland.
—Erin Stone, The Arizona Republic, 7 Oct. 2020
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Family says that their desert tortoise makes a perfect pet.
—Mark Eddington, The Salt Lake Tribune, 26 Sep. 2022
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The revered surrounding area is home to a Joshua tree forest and provides key habitats for the desert bighorn sheep, desert tortoise, and Gila monster.
—Nick Roll, The Christian Science Monitor, 27 Apr. 2023
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Joining the beleaguered list are the yucca night lizard, which lives under the branches of the tree, pinion pine, manzanita, bighorn sheep, and the desert tortoise.
—Jon Waterman, Outside Online, 15 June 2020
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After 15 to 20 million years roaming this land, the desert tortoise is in danger of going extinct.
—Justin Ray, Los Angeles Times, 18 Nov. 2021
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This Mojave desert tortoise has survived at least two wildfires that have burned through his habitat in southern Utah!
—The Salt Lake Tribune, 6 Sep. 2020
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Gazelles, jackals, desert tortoises and songbirds—not seen in the region for years—are returning.
—Aryn Baker / Mbar Toubab, Time, 12 Sep. 2019
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Some animals, like the desert tortoise in the southwestern United States, spend much of their time underground.
—Christina Nunez, National Geographic, 12 June 2019
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The Mojave desert tortoise is listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.
—Los Angeles Times, 2 Aug. 2023
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Around 95% of desert tortoises in the wild do not survive the first five years, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
—Jake Frederico, The Arizona Republic, 17 Apr. 2023
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The species has been added to the Red List and listed as critically endangered, the same designation as its close cousin the Mojave desert tortoise.
—Gabe Allen, Discover Magazine, 30 Dec. 2023
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The desert tortoise, for example, can survive up to a year without fresh water just by eating plants and reusing water stored in its bladder.
—Timothy Branning, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 Apr. 2023
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The rugged landscape near the Arizona and California state lines is home to bighorn sheep, desert tortoises and a large concentration of Joshua trees, some of which are more than 900 years old.
—Matthew Daly, Anchorage Daily News, 21 Mar. 2023
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The vehicles, which were headed to a huge pot farm, streaked through desert tortoise habitat and sent a large cloud of dust billowing over cholla cactus and creosote.
—Los Angeles Times, 11 July 2021
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Councilwoman Sharon Springer asked Deroian if other pets, such as a desert tortoise, would be counted toward the total number of pets in a household.
—Anthony Clark Carpio, latimes.com, 16 Mar. 2018
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But the tradition still carried on with a new Mojave Max — a 14-year-old desert tortoise living in captivity at Springs Preserve.
—David Montero, latimes.com, 29 Mar. 2018
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At another table, docent Maureen Lewis showed off her pet desert tortoise, Capt.
—Roger Showley, sandiegouniontribune.com, 11 Feb. 2018
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The area is also home to the densest population of golden eagles in Nevada and is a critical habitat for the desert tortoise, the only wild land tortoise in the Southwest.
—Andrea Sachs, BostonGlobe.com, 13 Apr. 2023
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Along the dirt roads crossing the facility were speed limit signs warning about the possible presence of desert tortoises.
—Susan Montoya Bryan, The Christian Science Monitor, 18 Apr. 2023
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Suddenly, developers would have to worry about fines for driving over, say, a baby desert tortoise.
—Catrin Einhorn, New York Times, 11 Feb. 2024
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In addition to the cultural resources, the region serves as critical habitat for desert tortoise and a migration path for wildlife including bighorn sheep and mule deer, according to the BLM.
—Debra Utacia Krol, The Arizona Republic, 26 Feb. 2024
Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'desert tortoise.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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