Edge Report post Posted July 18, 2023 Went to grab something out of the jeep when I realized I wasn't alone. 30 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
creed Report post Posted July 19, 2023 You don’t see many of them in my part of the desert. I’ve spent a lifetime roaming it and bet I’ve seen less than 15 in the wild. Ditto for Gila Monsters 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CatfishKev Report post Posted July 19, 2023 How do you like the truck bed version? Seen only like 3 gila monsters ever but not yet come across a desert tortoise. Pretty cool visitor. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Titanium700 Report post Posted July 19, 2023 I’ve seen 2 Gila monsters but never a desert tortoise. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
87lc Report post Posted July 19, 2023 Quail hunting one time and came across a baby, it was real hard to not pick it up and take it home. Would have fit in a pocket. Second, I volunteered with G&F a few years back with their tortoise study. They had tortoises with radio's glued to their backs. I was shocked how many there were. In a square mile we had like 10-20. They would send us out in groups with a tracker. We would find one, put it in a bag and take it back to the cars. While we were walking back to the cars, the others would proceed to find the next one. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Edge Report post Posted July 19, 2023 15 hours ago, CatfishKev said: How do you like the truck bed version? Seen only like 3 gila monsters ever but not yet come across a desert tortoise. Pretty cool visitor. I'm on my 4th Gila Monster, 2nd tortoise this year. Lots of gopher snakes and a single rattler a few weeks ago. The Gladiator is awesome. I always liked the looks and off road capabilities. Then a cousin took me deer hunting in his last Jan and I was hooked. After some more research I knew I'd want the diesel version. I need a leveling kit installed, the diesels are 500lbs heavier than the gas models. The little 3.0L turbo diesel gets 30mpg hwy, mid 20s in town. Compared to my 1995 Powerstroke, puts out almost 10% more torque and 25% more hp. Handles like a sports car and is backed up to an 8spd AT. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oz31p Report post Posted July 19, 2023 I would have never guessed your a gladiator kinda guy 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
IA Born Report post Posted July 19, 2023 I think he's mentioned he likes gladiator movies! Just kidding, Tim! That's awesome. I was involved in both listing decisions for the Sonoran desert tortoise. My supervisor and I fought hard to make sure the science was included and interpreted correctly, rather than making decisions based on emotions. Numbers aren't what they used to be, but they don't need ESA protection right now! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Edge Report post Posted July 19, 2023 2 hours ago, oz31p said: I would have never guessed your a gladiator kinda guy And without getting 'off color' yeah I have a black gladiator. Would have preferred any other color but there was no selection in diesel. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PRDATR Report post Posted July 19, 2023 I've only seen three in the wild and one hatchling maybe a month old a few years ago which I guess was probably from a residential nest but could have been dropped from a Raven since they account for a lot of juvenile predation. Strangely yesterday morning I saw a dead softshell turtle lying in the middle of 52nd st in Tempe by the old Microchip facility that had been runover. It was probably 16-18" across and no doubt came out of the drainage canal that runs just north of there. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Little Creek Calls Report post Posted July 19, 2023 I've seen quite a few. Several years ago when helping someone in 32 on the western side of the Galiuros we were running into them everywhere we went. Saw 5 or 6 tortoises and 2 Gila Monster's in 2 days. I couldn't believe some of the steep rocky places where we saw tortoises. Must have been breeding season or something, seemed like they were coming out everywhere. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
IA Born Report post Posted July 20, 2023 16 hours ago, Little Creek Calls said: I've seen quite a few. Several years ago when helping someone in 32 on the western side of the Galiuros we were running into them everywhere we went. Saw 5 or 6 tortoises and 2 Gila Monster's in 2 days. I couldn't believe some of the steep rocky places where we saw tortoises. Must have been breeding season or something, seemed like they were coming out everywhere. Steep, rocky habitat is actually the preferred habitat of Sonoran desert tortoises. They are only rarely found out in flats and that is usually attributed to emigration from range/territory to another. Mohave desert tortoises are the ones that live in the flats and creep up to the toes of slopes. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Edge Report post Posted July 20, 2023 Judging by the number of tortoise tunnels im seeing up here, there's no shortage of them. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
IA Born Report post Posted July 21, 2023 17 hours ago, Edge said: Judging by the number of tortoise tunnels im seeing up here, there's no shortage of them. That's awesome! It would be fun to explore and document that. What we've been seeing is pockets of high abundance and areas where we should be seeing them and aren't. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
