Desert tortoise
Gopherus agassizii

Body length: 8 -15"
Diet: Grass, flowers, and fruits

It is doubtful that tortoises live in Tonto National Monument or have occurred here during the last several hundred years. Although usually found in Arizona where saguaros occur, tortoises are apparently rare throughout the Tonto Basin.

Curiously, tortoise shells have been found in older archeological deposits near Roosevelt Lake. Is it possible that tortoises were once present here, but were hunted to extinction by the Salado or other peoples? Though we may never know for certain, there is supporting evidence that other species declined during the hundreds of years the basin was occupied and farmed. Remains of mesquite wood, a popular fuel, become less common in later deposits, as do deer and other large mammals. Some archeologists interpret this to mean that as the human population in the Tonto Basin increased, the environment became increasingly degraded, forcing the inhabitants to travel farther for food and fuel.

Desert tortoise Gopherus agassizii

Desert tortoise
Gopherus agassizii