California Desert Tortoise Mojave Maxine To Emerge From Burrow, Signaling Spring

Mojave Maxine, the California desert tortoise equivalent of groundhog Punxsutawney Phil, has not yet ended her brumation, but followers of her are ...

January 26, 2023
2:22 AM

Mojave Maxine, the California desert tortoise equivalent of groundhog Punxsutawney Phil, has not yet ended her brumation, but followers of her are eagerly awaiting her emergence, which signals the beginning of spring. The 45-year-old desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii), who lives in the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens in Palm Desert, CA is beloved by school children (K-6) in three counties around Palm Desert, who enter a contest each year and try and guess the day in which she emerges from her burrow.

John Virata