How to Use desert tortoise in a Sentence

desert tortoise

noun
  • But desert tortoises don’t care if a place looks cool to humans.
    — Sammy Roth, Anchorage Daily News, 2 July 2023
  • Few species are equipped to handle a hot and dry climate better than the desert tortoise.
    — Luke Runyon, azcentral, 9 Feb. 2020
  • Locals says the base knows every desert tortoise and jackrabbit that hops the fence.
    — Matt Blitz, Popular Mechanics, 14 Sep. 2017
  • Species like the Sonoran desert tortoise can’t flee the fast-moving fire.
    — Erin Stone, azcentral, 22 June 2020
  • Each container holds about six of the 69 desert tortoises that came from the zoo.
    — Jake Frederico, The Arizona Republic, 17 Apr. 2023
  • The researchers posit that this is because the ticks came off desert tortoises, which don’t contract the fever.
    — Karla Moeller, Slate Magazine, 27 June 2017
  • Adult desert tortoises must be kept outdoors, the club said, with shelter from the weather and a place to retreat at night.
    — Krystal Nurse, USA TODAY, 23 Jan. 2025
  • Nearby, a desert tortoise had emerged from its burrow to munch on some grass — a rare sight that elicited a whoop of joy from Wilcox.
    — Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 30 Mar. 2026
  • The Sonoran desert tortoise relies on such bursts in forage to survive in its arid homeland.
    — Erin Stone, The Arizona Republic, 7 Oct. 2020
  • Several times a day, zookeepers at the Phoenix Zoo hose down desert tortoises.
    — Nicole Sganga, CBS News, 1 Aug. 2023
  • Gazelles, jackals, desert tortoises and songbirds—not seen in the region for years—are returning.
    — Aryn Baker / Mbar Toubab, Time, 12 Sep. 2019
  • Using their sharp nails and strong legs, the desert tortoise can effectively dig tunnels that reach up to 30 feet in length.
    — Allison Futterman, Discover Magazine, 1 June 2022
  • To beat the heat, the desert tortoise builds underground tunnels in the sand, spending 95 percent of their lives there.
    — Allison Futterman, Discover Magazine, 1 June 2022
  • This Mojave desert tortoise has survived at least two wildfires that have burned through his habitat in southern Utah!
    — The Salt Lake Tribune, 6 Sep. 2020
  • Facts about the desert tortoise, prickly pear cacti and more lie waiting amid pages of arguments on ballot propositions.
    — Sasha Hupka, The Arizona Republic, 7 Oct. 2024
  • The desert tortoise, for example, can survive up to a year without fresh water just by eating plants and reusing water stored in its bladder.
    — Timothy Branning, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 Apr. 2023
  • Luckily, my desert tortoise named Dotty was safely snoozing in my backyard.
    — Alina Hartounian, NPR, 18 May 2026
  • Suddenly, developers would have to worry about fines for driving over, say, a baby desert tortoise.
    — Catrin Einhorn, New York Times, 11 Feb. 2024
  • An environmentalist moves heaven and earth to protect the desert tortoise.
    — Adam Met, Time, 15 June 2023
  • That's no longer allowed, but the experience inspired her to keep a small desert tortoise as a pet and learn more about tortoise conservation.
    — CBS News, 25 Nov. 2025
  • That’s no longer allowed, but the experience inspired her to keep a small desert tortoise as a pet and learn more about tortoise conservation.
    — Jaimie Ding, Fortune, 25 Nov. 2025
  • After 15 to 20 million years roaming this land, the desert tortoise is in danger of going extinct.
    — Justin Ray, Los Angeles Times, 18 Nov. 2021
  • There has been inconsistent monitoring of plant communities and desert tortoise health in the years since.
    — Erin Stone, The Arizona Republic, 7 Oct. 2020
  • At another table, docent Maureen Lewis showed off her pet desert tortoise, Capt.
    — Roger Showley, sandiegouniontribune.com, 11 Feb. 2018
  • The vehicles, which were headed to a huge pot farm, streaked through desert tortoise habitat and sent a large cloud of dust billowing over cholla cactus and creosote.
    — Los Angeles Times, 11 July 2021
  • Along the dirt roads crossing the facility were speed limit signs warning about the possible presence of desert tortoises.
    — Susan Montoya Bryan, The Christian Science Monitor, 18 Apr. 2023
  • Joining the beleaguered list are the yucca night lizard, which lives under the branches of the tree, pinion pine, manzanita, bighorn sheep, and the desert tortoise.
    — Jon Waterman, Outside Online, 15 June 2020
  • Some animals, like the desert tortoise in the southwestern United States, spend much of their time underground.
    — Christina Nunez, National Geographic, 12 June 2019
  • The revered surrounding area is home to a Joshua tree forest and provides key habitats for the desert bighorn sheep, desert tortoise, and Gila monster.
    — Nick Roll, The Christian Science Monitor, 27 Apr. 2023
  • Campers met snakes, including a yellow boa constrictor, a desert tortoise, and a large lizard called a water monitor, Hummel said.
    — Mary Grace Keller, baltimoresun.com/maryland/carroll, 15 July 2019

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'desert tortoise.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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