Page 5 - Summer 2012 magazine-2

Roger and Sue Kolar

The Red Rock Canyon desert tortoises brumate every winter from about
October until March or April. The volunteers anxiously wait for the tortoises
to emerge from their burrows in the spring. This year the first female tortoise
wandered into the sunlight in early February. Maxine, the largest tortoise,
refused to emerge until mid-March and several unfortunate tortoises were
stuck behind her in the burrow. The volunteers could hear the tortoises moving
around but couldn't help them get past Maxine. But by the end of March all of
Sue Kolar luring Max out the females were out and eating.
of his burrow on May 10th.

March turned to April and there was still no sign of Mojave Max. In 2011, he emerged on March 29th. Everyone
at Red Rock kept watch; April 14th, the latest date Max had ever emerged, came and went. Finally, at 12:41 in the
afternoon of April 17th, Max emerged, covered in dirt and blinking from the sunshine, but looking healthy. The
next task for the volunteer Tortoise Habitat Monitors was to get Max to eat some tortoise chow. The females
usually eat eagerly, possibly because they have noticed that if they don't eat their chow another tortoise will. Max,
however, has no competition for his food. Also, he acts like a teenage boy and sleeps late most days. Usually the
females are done eating and returning to their burrows by the time Max comes out. He was a no-show for several
feedings after his emergence; but on May 9th, Max finally came out and ate his first meal of 2012. The visitors
asked why the volunteers were cheering!

The next day the Mojave Max Emergence Contest winner, Quentin Larry, and his Nate Mack Elementary School
classmates were scheduled to meet Max at 10 o'clock. Given Max's unusual ways, the Tortoise Habitat Monitors
were not sure he would make an appearance. We put a little tort chow and a pink cactus flower from his habitat on
a dish at the mouth of his burrow and waited. The children arrived and there was no Max. They scanned the
habitat and saw some of the female tortoises, but it just wasn't the same. Then the volunteers noticed Max peeking
out of his burrow. The children were shushed and Max came out and ate the
flower. Everyone was elated. Apparently, Max likes children, because after he
was done with his snack, he walked over to the viewing area to get closer to the
children. That tortoise sure knows how to make an entrance!

If you would like to take care of Max and the eight female tortoises in the habitat,
watch the e-blasts for information on training classes. We think it is the best
volunteer job in Las Vegas.
Max greets his fans om May 10th

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