Agassiz’s Desert Tortoise
Agassiz’s Desert TortoiseAgassiz’s Desert TortoiseAgassiz’s Desert TortoiseAgassiz’s Desert Tortoise

Agassiz’s Desert Tortoise

Gopherus agassizii

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
<5% · Rare
overall probability at Grand Canyon National Park
5 Verified records at Grand Canyon National Park
December Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's active during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

The desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) is a species of tortoise in the family Testudinidae. The species is native to the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, and to the Sinaloan thornscrub of northwestern Mexico. G. agassizii is distributed in western Arizona, southeastern California, southern Nevada, and southwestern Utah. The specific name agassizii is in honor of Swiss-American zoologist Jean Louis Rodolphe Agassiz. The desert tortoise is the official state reptile in California and Nevada. The desert tortoise lives 70 to 80 years on average; it grows slowly and generally has a low reproductive rate. Wikipedia →

<5% of wildlife watchers report a Agassiz’s Desert Tortoise sighting in Grand Canyon National Park, based on 5 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

📅 Monthly Probability

<5
Jan
<5
Feb
<5
Mar
<5
Apr
5–10
May
<5
Jun
<5
Jul
<5
Aug
<5
Sep
5–10
Oct
10–20
Nov
10–20
Dec

☀️ When They're Spotted

Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)

☀️Diurnal
☀️🌙🌙12am6am12pm6pm12am

Global Distribution

Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.

where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is)  ·  parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Probability
1 Death Valley National Park 🇺🇸 United States
30–40%
2 Joshua Tree National Park 🇺🇸 United States
20–30%
3 Zion National Park 🇺🇸 United States
10–20%
4 Grand Canyon National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Agassiz’s Desert Tortoise in Grand Canyon National Park?

About 4% of wildlife watchers report a Agassiz’s Desert Tortoise sighting in Grand Canyon National Park, based on 5 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Agassiz’s Desert Tortoise in Grand Canyon National Park?

December has the highest sighting rate for Agassiz’s Desert Tortoise in Grand Canyon National Park in our monthly data.

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