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Spring has sprung in Sin City: The famous Las Vegas tortoise named Mojave Max emerges from its winter home to signal the arrival of warm weather – and this is the earliest in 23 years
Mojave Max emerged from its winter den in the Las Vegas desert, indicating that spring has sprung to the region.
The tortoise is Sin City’s version of a marmot named Punxsutawney Phil in Pennsylvania, whom locals rely on to know when the warmer weather is on its way.
Max appeared with his cavemate at 3:40 p.m. PST on April 24 at the Springs Reserve, marking the first escape from his winter home in 23 years.
Warmer temperatures, longer daylight hours and the turtle’s internal clock are factors known to contribute to its emergence each year.
Nevada Spring Preserve officials have announced that Mojave Max and his burrow mate have emerged from their winter home — the earliest in 23 years
In Las Vegas, where the endangered species’ reptilian hibernation is called brumation, the earliest Mojave Max since 2000 was a little before noon on Feb. 14, 2005.
The last was April 17, 2012.
Three male turtles were born under the nickname Mojave Max.
Today’s Max is marked with a radio transmitting device attached to his shield.
The turtle seen with Mojave Max on Monday has no name.
Springs Preserve biologists think this year’s exceptionally cold winter, which brought frequent rain and abundant snow to the mountains to the west, also kept the desert surface cool later in the spring, Springs Preserve spokesman Tom Bradley Jr. said. Tuesday.
“It’s taken longer for the ground in the den to warm up,” Bradley said. “When it finally warmed up, Max came out.”
Springs Preserve consists of 180 acres dedicated to nature walks and exhibits and is owned and operated by the Las Vegas Valley Water District.
The desert tortoise is considered a keystone species and an indicator of the health of a fragile desert ecosystem.
Warmer temperatures, longer daylight hours and the turtle’s internal clock are factors known to contribute to its emergence each year
The turtle is Sin City’s version of Punxsutawney Phil (pictured) in Pennsylvania, which locals rely on to know when warmer weather is on its way
The habits and habitat of Mojave Max are being studied by children at public and private schools in Clark County, where officials say more than 4,200 students in grades K-5 participated in this year’s contest to guess the day the turtle would emerge. come.
Officials said the winner of the 23rd annual competition will be announced soon.
Punxsutawney Phil, Pennsylvania’s version of Mojave Max, predicted it would be another six weeks of winter when he saw his shadow on Feb. 2.
But a message from Battery weather released 22 days after Groundhog Day showed that millions of Americans from Texas to New York are experiencing their earliest spring in decades as temperatures remain well above historical averages.
The weather organization noted that the forecast was made a day before Phil called for six more weeks of winter.
Data from Yale shows that March 2023 was the second warmest March on Earth.
“The only warmer March in all three databases was 2016, near the end of the record strong El Niño event of 2014-2016,” the report reads.
NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information reported on April 13 that temperatures were 2.23 degrees Fahrenheit above the 20th-century average.