Reproduction
Tortoises mate in the spring and in the fall. Male desert tortoises will grow two large white glands around the chin area, called Chin Glands, that signify mating season.
Males will circle around females, biting the shells of the females in the process, and then will proceed to climb upon the female and insert his penis (a white organ, usually only seen upon careful inspection during mating, as it is hidden inside the male and can only be coaxed out with sexual implication) into the vagina of a female.(located around the tail) The male may also proceed to make grunting noises once atop a female, and may move front legs up and down in a constant motion.(as if playing a drum) Months later, the female will lay a clutch of from 4 to 8 hard-shelled-eggs (which are the size and shape of ping-pong balls), usually in June or July, and they hatch in August or September. Wild female tortoises can produce 2 or possibly 3 clutches a year. Their eggs incubate from 90 to 135 days. Tortoises reach sexual maturity at the age of 15. With a high mortality rate, their average life expectancy is between 50 to 80 years if they survive past 20 years of age.
Read more about this topic: Desert Tortoise
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