Desert tortoises lives in Africa, Asia, Southern Europe and the New World. They prefer mostly open spaces (steppes, savannahs, deserts), but a number of species inhabit humid tropical forests.
Desert tortoise is a species of medium sized turtles that lives in the southwestern desert regions of North America and parts of northern Mexico. Desert tortoises are best known for their tall, domed shell and the fact that they spend most of their lives in burrows under the ground. It is an overland species of turtles that has adapted to survive in very severe conditions of arid desert climate.
Desert tortoises inhabit the vast sandy plains and rocky foothills that lie and surround the deserts of Mojave and Sonora. When the temperature is too high for a desert tortoise, she simply digs herself a hole in the sand where she can remain in the cool until the heat ceases. To survive, they need a soft, suitable for digging soil with a low-growing vegetation.
Desert tortoise has a number of biological adaptations that allow it to survive more successfully in such arid conditions. The front legs of the desert tortoise are heavy and have a flat shape. This feature, combined with a set of strong, short and wide claws, gives the desert tortoise the ability to climb and climb very efficiently on cliffs, and quickly dig deep pits in the ground to find water, food, and subterranean burrows. The shell of a desert tortoise is a hard bone shell that protects the animal’s body from overheating and attack of possible predators. Its length is 23-37 centimeters in length.
