rafas-lara's Identifications

Mating pair of desert tortoises.
Observed east of Hwy 395, north of Adelanto, California. Mojave Desert. These are protected species. Not long ago, it would be very rare to see one in the wild. Now I see them maybe 60% of my hikes in the southern California desert. Area ranging from California City on the west to The Rodman Mountains in the east. The endangered species act seems to be working for these guys. This pair was observed in the wild in the Mojave Desert while hunting for cottontail and jackrabbits.