Posted by:
SL Cabbie
(
)
Date: October 15, 2020 12:26PM
Is the Sonoran desert tortoise or Morafka's desert tortoise, Gopherus morafkai Murphy et al., 2011[7]
I was just reviewing the nomenclature, and as you can see it's been revised. Wiki now lists six species in the genus Gopherus...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gopherus>>In July 2011, researchers decided on the basis of DNA and behavioral data that the Sonoran and Mojave populations of the desert tortoise were distinct species.[7] As such, there are currently six recognized species in the genus Gopherus...
Based on the size, I'm doubtful this one was a desert tortoise, so it's likely it was someone's "escapee." There are lots of possibilities.