This story is free to read because readers choose to support LAist. If you find value in independent local reporting, make a donation to power our newsroom today. Spotting a Mojave Desert tortoise is ...

Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. As monsoon rains bring much needed water to Arizona’s deserts, you may notice some of the state’s beloved shell-backed reptiles on ...

PHOENIX — They’re not fluffy, they don’t play fetch and they certainly don’t roll over. But there is such a thing as a lap tortoise. Dotty the desert tortoise climbs into the lap of Seyda Robertson in ...

Following more than three decades of declining numbers, the Mojave desert tortoise has been officially declared an endangered species in California. The California Fish and Game Commission voted ...

State wildlife officials are looking for good homes for 15 desert tortoises. Why it matters: The endangered reptiles can't be returned to the wild once they've been in captivity because of the risk of ...

What has four scaly legs and spends 90% of its life underground? It could be your new pet. The Arizona Game and Fish Department’s desert tortoise adoption program began last week with more than 300 ...

Arizona Game and Fish Department still has desert tortoises that need forever homes. Captive tortoises grow up to about 14 inches long and can live upwards of 80 years, AZGFD said. However, they ...

The animals are also vulnerable to a range of deadly diseases such as upper respiratory illnesses and the shell disease cutaneous dyskeratosis, which softens their shells. Finally, as climate change ...

I never imagined that closing dumpsters could help save an endangered species, but that's exactly what I learned during my time at The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens. What started as a volunteer ...

PHOENIX — They’re not fluffy, they don’t play fetch and they certainly don’t roll over. But there is such a thing as a lap tortoise. What’s more, pet tortoises can wag their tails, will plod on up to ...