Mojave Max, the desert tortoise known for signaling the start of spring in Southern Nevada, has broken his record for the latest burrow emergence. According to KTNV, the tortoise emerged on Thursday at 2:09 p.m., two weeks later than his previous record.
The Las Vegas Springs Preserve stated that "The recent extreme fluctuation in temperatures, rain and wind contributed to Mojave Max's late emergence this year," as mentioned by KTNV. Max was also accompanied by two other tortoises in brumation, which may have influenced his later emergence. Over 3,600 student predictions and 1,500 from Clark County residents were made to guess the timing of his emergence, with the contest winner yet to be announced.
FOX5 Vegas reported that the Department of Environment and Sustainability attributed Mojave Max's late emergence to "a lack of consistently high temperatures well into the spring." Clark County officials explained that "The ground has not warmed enough for him to realize we are almost into May," meaning colder soil temperatures delayed the tortoise's appearance. Mojave Max's emergence has traditionally been used to signal the arrival of spring, but this year, the timing was affected by weather patterns.
