BOLSON TORTOISE

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Context

• To prevent the Bolson tortoise from going extinct, biologists have been working for more than 20 years to set up a captive breeding program and a free-ranging population.

Bolson Tortoise

About

• The Bolson Tortoise (Gopherus flavomarginatus), also called the Mexican giant tortoise or yellow-margined tortoise, is a species of tortoise from North America.
• Of the six North American tortoise species, it is the largest, having a carapace length of about 46 cm.
• It lives in a region of the Chihuahuan Desert known as the Bolsón de Mapimí, which is located in north-central Mexico.

Geographic Range

• Bolson tortoises, are located in the Nearctic Region, and are primarily endemic to a portion of the Mapimi Basin in the Chihuahuan Desert of Mexico.

Habitat

• Bolson tortoises live at an average elevation of 1500m but are sometimes found in elevations as low as 1000m and as high as 2000m near volcanic slopes.
• Their habitat is a semi-hot desert climate with winter temperatures around 2.8°C and summer temperatures ranging to 36.3°C.

Lifespan/Longevity

• Bolson tortoises have been observed to live over 50 years in the wild (range 20-70). Their average lifespan in the wild is 35 years (range 20-50) 

Food Habits

• Bolson tortoises are herbivores that mainly consume desert scrub, with the halophytic grass Hilaria mutica comprising 60% of their diet.

Conservation Status

• The IUCN Red List categorizes Bolson tortoises as "Vulnerable."
• These tortoises are protected under CITES Appendix I. An Appendix I listing means that CITES prohibits international trade in specimens except for scientific purposes.
• The cause for their severe decline is human development and destruction of their habitat.

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