Just takin' my time

Photos by Marty Horowitz 11/2/2015

Say: "Prickly pear fruit!"

On one of the warmer days this month, Marty saw this Sonoran Desert Tortoise out and about.

From the link above by Thomas C. Brennan:

BEHAVIOR: Primarily diurnal and crepuscular but occasionally active into the night. The Sonoran Desert Tortoise is entirely terrestrial. It shelters and hibernates in self constructed burrows that are often excavated under large rocks. It uses its strong, paddle-like forelimbs to dig. Also shelters in naturally occurring cavities under rocks or in the banks of washes. When threatened it pulls the body and head into the shell and covers the opening with its thick, armored forelimbs. 

DIET: This herbivore feeds on grasses, herbs, cacti, tree shoots, and other plant material. 

PROTECTED throughout Arizona
It is against Arizona State law to harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, or collect this animal in any part of the state. It is also illegal to attempt to engage in any such conduct.