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ARIZONA REPUBLIC (Phoenix) 08 August 04 Tortoises playing into shell game - Odds don't favor seeing wild one (Quynh Tran)
The next time a monsoon rolls through, remember that not all the action is taking place in the sky.
Sonoran desert tortoises, less active in the dry season when food is scarce, often venture out as rains set in.
"The monsoon, with its combination of warm weather and rainfall, is a rare opportunity to see these guys," said Arizona Game and Fish biologist Daren Riedle, who is responsible for the state's tortoise population. "Like most desert animals, the tortoises are taking advantage of the rain and coming out in early morning or dusk."
Tortoises are herbivores that feed on native grasses and legumes, and they can live up to two months without drinking. They hibernate in winter. Growing to the size of volleyballs and weighing up to 35 pounds, they can live up to 100 years and are the only native Arizona terrapins on land.
"They are a very different animal from our everyday dogs and cats," Riedle said. "A lot of wildlife you view from a distance, but with a tortoise, you can get up close and personal."
But if you head out to the desert to go tortoise watch- ing, don't count on spotting one.
"I'm a native Arizonan, and in my 48 years, I've only seen one in the wild," said Sandy Cate, a naturalist at the Game and Fish Department's Adobe Mountain Wildlife Center, where rehabilitated tortoises can be legally adopted.
Hikers are most likely to see tortoises near the bases of boulders and foothills where they make their burrows. They are occasionally seen crossing highways.
"If you see one crossing the highway or while hiking, they are in their natural environment," Riedle said. "They're not lost. Let them go on their way."
Most stay in the same small area their entire lives, and releasing them in a strange place puts them in danger because they will not be able to find food and shelter.
Adult tortoises' only predators are humans. They are a threatened species in parts of California, Nevada, Utah and northwestern Arizona (north and west of the Colorado River) under the Endangered Species Act.
However, the Sonoran populations are stable, though still protected, and illegal to take out of the wild or sold.
The Adobe Mountain Wildlife Center rehabilitates sick, injured or abandoned wildlife, including tortoises, and has adopted out more than 1,000 over the past 10 years.
"Something about tortoises fascinates people," Riedle said. "They're personable and very innocuous and harmless creatures."
To legally adopt a tortoise, contact the center at (623) 582-9806.
Tortoises playing into shell game - Odds don't favor seeing wild one

I saw one last year. A beautiful adult in perfect shape. I've seen a couple of broken shells, which was very sad.

You saw one in AZ?

Was it near an obvious burrow?
Is a place close to human habitation?

Did you get pictures?