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Definition of desert tortoise
desert tortoise
Plural:desert tortoises
desert tortoise Lexical Profile
CEFR
B2
Grade
6
Tier
3
Usage
Rare
• noun
1
North American A species of slow-moving, land-dwelling reptile native to the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, characterized by a highly domed shell and its reliance on deep burrows to escape extreme temperatures.
Example
"Conservationists are working to protect the natural habitat of the desert tortoise, as urban expansion threatens their crucial burrowing grounds."
Word Nuance & Usage
Although traditionally treated as a single species, biologists formally recognized the desert tortoise as two distinct species in 2011: the Mojave desert tortoise and the Sonoran desert tortoise.
• Nearby Words
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.
180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer
Cite this Entry
Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Desert tortoise. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Oct 16, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/desert tortoise