T is for Tortoise LbNA #69918
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Add Location| Owner: | FamilyTreeShaker  |
|---|---|
| Plant date: | May 8, 2016 |
| Location: | Camino De Oeste Trailhead |
| City: | Tucson |
| County: | Pima |
| State: | Arizona |
| Boxes: | 1 |
| Found by: | Heyford |
|---|---|
| Last found: | Dec 27, 2022 |
| Status: | FFFFFF |
| Last edited: | May 9, 2016 |
Desert tortoise (Gopherus agassisii) have a high domed shell, carapace (top of shell) length of 9 to 15 inches, elephantine or "columnar" legs that are heavily scaled in the front. A desert tortoise can't be mistaken for anything else native to its range (introduced tortoise species complicate this).
You're not likely to find a desert tortoise while you're out on the trail but this is their habitat. They spend 95% of their time in their burrows.
See: https://www.desertmuseum.org/kids/oz/long-fact-sheets/Desert%20Tortoise.php for more information on their diets and habits.
Trailhead: From Speedway and Campbell drive 7.1 miles west on Speedway past I-10 to where Speedway intersects with Camino de Oeste. Turn left (south) on Camino de Oeste. Follow Camino de Oeste south as it turns into a dirt road then dead-ends at the trailhead parking lot. (Lat:32.22626 Lon:-111.06265)
To the box:
Head out on the David Yetman Trail to the right of the gate but left of the electrical box. Make your way along the trail through the bottom of the canyon. At the sign that reads Yetman/C.D.O Trailhead (arrow to right) and Yetman Trail/Stone House (arrow to left), stay right and continue on the Yetman Trail. Look for a stumpy 4-armed saguaro on the right of the trail. Stop here. Walk 18-20 steps to a large boulder on the right side of the trail. At this rock, take a compass reading of 140* to see a large rock about 10 steps away. Behind this rock you will find the tortoise in his "constructed" burrow.
Please be careful when replacing the rocks on the top to not break the box.
Warning: Nothing in AZ is cute, cuddly, or soft. If it doesn't poke or sting you, it may bite and poison you. Be careful. Stay out of the washes during monsoon season. Flash flooding is possible.
Hike length: 1-2 miles
You're not likely to find a desert tortoise while you're out on the trail but this is their habitat. They spend 95% of their time in their burrows.
See: https://www.desertmuseum.org/kids/oz/long-fact-sheets/Desert%20Tortoise.php for more information on their diets and habits.
Trailhead: From Speedway and Campbell drive 7.1 miles west on Speedway past I-10 to where Speedway intersects with Camino de Oeste. Turn left (south) on Camino de Oeste. Follow Camino de Oeste south as it turns into a dirt road then dead-ends at the trailhead parking lot. (Lat:32.22626 Lon:-111.06265)
To the box:
Head out on the David Yetman Trail to the right of the gate but left of the electrical box. Make your way along the trail through the bottom of the canyon. At the sign that reads Yetman/C.D.O Trailhead (arrow to right) and Yetman Trail/Stone House (arrow to left), stay right and continue on the Yetman Trail. Look for a stumpy 4-armed saguaro on the right of the trail. Stop here. Walk 18-20 steps to a large boulder on the right side of the trail. At this rock, take a compass reading of 140* to see a large rock about 10 steps away. Behind this rock you will find the tortoise in his "constructed" burrow.
Please be careful when replacing the rocks on the top to not break the box.
Warning: Nothing in AZ is cute, cuddly, or soft. If it doesn't poke or sting you, it may bite and poison you. Be careful. Stay out of the washes during monsoon season. Flash flooding is possible.
Hike length: 1-2 miles