The desert tortoise lives in the hot, dry deserts of California. It is our state reptile.

A desert tortoise does not need to drink very often. It gets most of its water from the plants and flowers it eats. After a rain, it may drink from a puddle and keep the water in its body for months.

The desert is very hot in summer. To stay cool, a tortoise digs a burrow. A burrow is a hole in the ground. The tortoise rests in its burrow during the hottest part of the day.

In winter, the desert gets cold. The tortoise goes deep into its burrow and sleeps until spring.