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== Taxon history ==
In 2011, using DNA evidence, geography, and behavioral observations, it was concluded that two distinct species of desert tortoise exist on either side (east-west) of the [[Colorado River]]
*the '''Mojave''' or '''[[Agassiz's desert tortoise]]''' (''Gopherus agassizii''); known from as far south as [[San Diego, California|San Diego]] and Ciudad Morelos, [[Sonora]],<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Observations • iNaturalist |url=https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?lat=32.58275151632908&lng=-115.95797309597502&place_id=any&radius=155.8258094932034&subview=map&taxon_id=40086 |url-status=live |access-date=10 June 2024}}</ref> but primarily found from the [[Cleveland National Forest|Cleveland]] and [[San Bernardino National Forest|San Bernardino National Forests]], throughout the [[Inland Empire]] of [[Southern California]], [[Death Valley]], the [[Mojave Desert]] and some parts of the [[Sequoia National Forest]].<ref name=":0" /> Also found in [[Southern Nevada]], extreme northwest Arizona,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Observations • iNaturalist |url=https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=40&subview=map&taxon_id=40086 |url-status=live |access-date=10 June 2024}}</ref> and as far north as southwestern [[Utah]], near [[Zion National Park]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Observations • iNaturalist |url=https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=52&subview=map&taxon_id=40086 |url-status=live |access-date=10 June 2024}}</ref>
*the '''Sonoran''' or '''Morafka's desert tortoise''' (''Gopherus morafkai'')<ref name="usgs.gov">[https://archive.usgs.gov/archive/sites/www.usgs.gov/newsroom/article.asp-ID=2842.html Genetic Analysis Splits Desert Tortoise into Two Species]. US Geological Survey (2011-06-28). Retrieved on 2019-08-22.</ref>; found east of the Colorado River, primarily in [[Arizona]] and further south, in the [[Sonoran Desert]], and the states of Sonora and [[Sinaloa, Mexico]]. The new species' name is in honor of the late Professor David Joseph Morafka of [[California State University, Dominguez Hills]], in recognition of his many contributions to the study and conservation of the genus ''Gopherus''.<ref name="RDB" />
== References ==
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