Did you know...

Desert tortoises have an internal bladder which can store up to 40% of their body weight in water! This allows them to stay hydrated even across long periods of drought. When threatened, a tortoise can empty their bladder, resulting in a smell which discourages most predators. However, emptying the bladder leaves the desert tortoise at risk of dehydration. For this reason, if you see a desert tortoise, please leave it alone!

In addition to having a unique bladder system, the desert tortoise also has a feeding schedule that allows it to preserve its water. It chooses to begin searching for nearby greenery during the parts of the day that are less hot to avoid unnecessarily losing water. Additionally, the desert tortoise is capable of collecting most its much needed water through the plants it eat. This is especially important since freestanding water is very rarely rarely found in the desert.