Fifteen years ago, I hiked for two days in the Mojave Desert before I finally saw one: an Agassiz’s desert tortoise. Today, finding one would likely require even more effort.
The tortoise, also known as the Mojave desert tortoise, finally made it on California’s endangered species list two years ago — temporarily. It may soon revert back to threatened status, even though it’s still very much in danger of vanishing from the land.
