On this #WorldWildlifeDay, we bring you some late breaking news! Yep, about a month late.

Mojave Max has come out of brumation and graced Red Rocks Canyon conservation area with her beautiful shell on February 8th at four minutes to noon.  (See? told you this was late breaking news).  Spring is here! here…ish? Her arrival comes a day earlier than last year and confirms her groundhog counterparts prediction of an early spring! Woohoo!

you can watch a video of her debut right here! 

For those who don’t know, Mojave Max (short for Maxine), is a desert tortoise living in the Red Rocks Canyon National Conservation Area.  Since 1995 she’s been the mascot for the Clark County Desert Conservation Program and its partners, teaching residents and visitors the importance of protecting local environments and enjoying wildlife safely and respectfully.

(From NBC Los Angeles)

Who’s Mojave Maxine, you politely query? Well, she’s just about one of the most famous residents of the desert resort cities, and perhaps the most beloved Desert Tortoise around (with all due respect to the celebrated tortoises of the San Diego Zoo and elsewhere). Not only does she have a catchy, alliterative moniker, but she has a major role to play each February: Predict springtime. We know, we know, that’s a role that belongs to another famous beastie, Punxsutawney Phil, who typically is out of the gate on the prognosticating end of things a full week or so before Mojave Maxine makes a showing. But while Phil is all about his shadow – he doesn’t choose Feb. 2 as his officiate date to see it or not – Maxine is fully in control of her springtime prediction. As in, she emerges from her cozy burrow at The Living Desert in Palm Desert when she is good and ready. AND SHE WAS GOOD AND READY.

Every year the program holds the Mojave Max Emergence Contest! Area students can try to predict when max will emerge from her burrow. Winner gets some pretty sweet prizes, from a laptop,  pizza party, and a field trip to see Max in person!

Read more about Mojave Maxine and the Clark county desert conservation program here!

Good Moring, Mojave Max!  

So it’s official! Spring is here! @MojaveMax emerged from his burrow yesterday, at 2:17pm, signifying spring is here to stay! (we demand it!). 

According to the press release from Clark County, NV “This is the second-latest emergence in the 16-year history of the Mojave Max Emergence Contest. The latest he has emerged is April 17 in 2012.”

It’s been a tough winter for us all, Max! We’re glad you’re out and about, now nom away! 

(Source: @mojavemax & ClarkCountyNV.gov)

Happy Spring! Mojave Max made spring official on Monday, April 7th 2014

(Source: LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL & The Republic )

Southern Nevada’s favorite desert tortoise emerged from its burrow about 4 p.m. Monday, heralding the arrival of spring , according to a Clark County news release.

Mojave Max, like other Southern Nevada reptiles, brumates — a process similar to hibernation — each year by entering a burrow during the winter months and emerging when the weather warms up.

The earliest the tortoise has emerged is Feb. 14, and the latest is April 17.

TortTime

YAY! At 1:45 pm yesterday @mojavemax emerged from his burrow! So happy to see your face max! Spring is near! 

From the Clark County, NV press release (Read it all here!):

Mojave Max is a live desert tortoise who calls Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area his home. Like other Southern Nevada reptiles, he enters a burrow to brumate (the reptilian form of hibernation) every winter and emerges every spring. Mojave Max’s emergence marks the beginning of spring-like weather in Southern Nevada.  Warmer temperatures, longer daylight hours and an internal clock are factors known to contribute to his emergence every year. 

Check out Mojave Max’s website

YAY! At 1:45 pm yesterday @mojavemax emerged from his burrow! So happy to see your face max! Spring is near! 

From the Clark County, NV press release (Read it all here!):

Mojave Max is a live desert tortoise who calls Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area his home. Like other Southern Nevada reptiles, he enters a burrow to brumate (the reptilian form of hibernation) every winter and emerges every spring. Mojave Max’s emergence marks the beginning of spring-like weather in Southern Nevada.  Warmer temperatures, longer daylight hours and an internal clock are factors known to contribute to his emergence every year. 

Check out Mojave Max’s website

TortTime

James Cornett from the Desert Sun reminds us, Mojave max isn’t the only one owning the desert. 

This column is about a turtle, not a tortoise. Tortoises live on land. Turtles usually live in water.

Nature enthusiasts residing in the Coachella Valley, and elsewhere in the California deserts, expect to see a tortoise. They do not expect to see a water-loving turtle.

That is why I was surprised, in truth startled, to learn that a turtle lived in the middle of the Mojave Desert. Specifically, I am referring to the western pond turtle (Clemmys marmorata) that lives where no turtle should.

James Cornett from the Desert Sun reminds us, Mojave max isn’t the only one owning the desert. 

This column is about a turtle, not a tortoise. Tortoises live on land. Turtles usually live in water.

Nature enthusiasts residing in the Coachella Valley, and elsewhere in the California deserts, expect to see a tortoise. They do not expect to see a water-loving turtle.

That is why I was surprised, in truth startled, to learn that a turtle lived in the middle of the Mojave Desert. Specifically, I am referring to the western pond turtle (Clemmys marmorata) that lives where no turtle should.