California
Turtle^ Tortoise
thelortuga Gazette C^r
California Turtle & Tortoise Club Founded in 1964 Dedicated to Turtle & Tortoise Preservation, Conservation and Education
July I August 2013 Volume 49;, Number 4
Bolson tortoise, Gopherus flavomarginatus, photographed inside the compound at the desert field station of the Mapimf Biosphere Reserve, Photo by David J. Germano. Reprinted with permission.
Bolson Tortoise,
Gopherusflavomarginatus
La Tortuga del Bolson de Mapimi by M.A.Cohen
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he largest of the five known species of Gopherus tortoises is the bolson tortoise, G. flavomargincrtus. It is the largest terrestrial reptile in North America. In its native land, the bolson tortoise is called la tortuga grande, which translates into English as "the large (or great) turtle." Other Spanish common names for the species include tortuga del monte ("turtle of the mountain.") and tortuga del llanera ("turtle of the plains"). The bolson tortoise is endemic to central northern Mexico, where it lives
in isolated pockets within the region of the Chihuahuan Desert known as the Bolson de Mapimf which translates into English as the Mapimi Basin. While researchers have evidence that the species once roamed the entire Chihuahuan Desert, and possibly beyond, it currently inhabits a drastically reduced area within the Mapimi Basin. The species was first described in the scientific literature in 1959 by John M. Legler in a paper titled "A new tortoise, genus Gopherus., from north-central Mexico" published by the University of
Kansas Publications, Museum of Natural History. When first published, the "new" species was met with considerable skepticism. Through time it has been widely accepted as a valid species. G. flavomarginatus is possibly the least studied of the known Gopherus species. Even though it inhabits a harsh, remote ecosystem, the bolson tortoise faces significant threats to its continued existence. Tie origin of these threats is largely due to the human presence in the habitat of the tortoise, and will be discussed later in this article.