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Definition of desert tortoise

desert tortoise

Plural:desert tortoises
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• 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."

Synonyms
View all synonyms for desert tortoise

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

desert night snake
desert rose
desert rosy boa
desert tortoise
desert willow
deserted
deserter

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 Nov 5, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/desert-tortoise
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