Desert Tortoise

What a desert tortoise eats depends on where it’s located within the species’ range. A desert tortoise's diet is made up of a variety of vegetation, including annual wildflowers, grasses, and new growth of selected shrubs, cacti and their flowers. Desert tortoises forage in the spring and again in the fall. During the late summer, desert tortoises may emerge from their underground burrows to drink standing water after periodic thunderstorms. Increased water intake allows them to forage on dried herbaceous vegetation and grasses.