• The tortoise does not have teeth. Instead they have a hard, sharp beak and their jaws are covered with flat, hard ridges for grinding food.
• Tortoises are ectothermic, or cold-blooded, which means their body temperature is the same as the environment around them. To stay warm at night and stay cool in the day, they dig burrows.
• Water conservation is a necessity in the desert. In the bright sun, a tortoise will move very slowly to conserve as much as possible. They will find water from the food they eat and by digging depressions in the ground to catch rainwater. Water is stored in the bladder, but it has to be refreshed once in awhile.
• Reproduction age is reached at 
  12 - 20 years old and there is no defined mating period. A male will breed whenever the opportunity arises. Up to 14 eggs are laid in a nest. Only two to three out of 100 hatchlings will survive to be adults. Longevity is between 60 and 100 years!
• The tortoise is a federally protected species. The population numbers are declining due to hunting, urban growth, disease, vandalism, and off road vehicles.
  

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