A 43-year-old desert tortoise celebrated for her season-changing perception is likely to soon emerge from her winter’s nap at the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens in Palm Desert, and students from schools throughout Southern California Wednesday were invited to submit their predictions on when that might happen.
“Mojave Maxine is a wonderful ambassador at The Living Desert, as she helps educate people about the plight of desert tortoises which are threatened due to several factors, most of which are human-caused,” said James Danoff-Burg, director of conservation for the zoo.
“This annual contest provides the perfect opportunity for students to learn about desert tortoises, how to help protect them, and have some fun guessing when Mojave Maxine will emerge from her burrow.”
Last winter, Maxine poked her head out of her subterranean burrow on the morning of Jan. 23, which was six days earlier than when she resumed her spring-time activities the year before.
Students from Riverside, Orange, San Diego, Los Angeles and five other Southern California counties are invited to submit entries on when they believe Maxine will make her 2021 debut. Last year’s contest drew 1,300 student entries.
The zoo reported Maxine went underground to begin her “brumation” — hibernation for reptiles — this season around Thanksgiving.
Tortoises’ bodies know when to go to sleep based on the outside temperatures and the change in daylight hours.
The student with the first contest entry from each county closest to the exact day and time of Maxine’s arrival will win a virtual classroom visit from a desert tortoise and biologist, along with free “Mojave Maxine” t-shirts for their entire class and a tortoise book for their teacher’s classroom.
A live video feed will soon be available, streaming images of Maxine’s burrow.
Students’ entries are being accepted via livingdesert.org/mojave-maxine.