Artificial Burrow Use as a Management Strategy for the Desert Tortoise, Gopherus agassizii
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Authors
Palmer, Brent
Issue Date
1991
Type
Thesis
Language
en_US
Keywords
Alternative Title
Abstract
As with many desert organisms, the use of a burrow is critical to
the survival of the desert tortoise Gopherus agassizii. The burrow
provides humidity and thermal buffering from the harsh environmental
conditions. Management of this endangered species so far has consisted
mainly of relocation or reintroduction, which often involves the use of
artificial shelters as part of the reestablishment process. This study
investigates the use of artificial burrows as a management strategy for
the tortoise. More specifically, it focused on the importance of
orientation and size of burrows in relation to their suitability for use by
the tortoises. The data collected do not indicate a preference for
orientation. However, some evidence seems to suggest that size plays a
role in the use of the artificial burrows. This preference probably
represents a compromise between how well the tortoise fits into a
burrow and the thermal and humidity buffering capacity it afforded.
Description
vi, 21 p.
Citation
Publisher
Kalamazoo College
License
U.S. copyright laws protect this material. Commercial use or distribution of this material is not permitted without prior written permission of the copyright holder.