United States | Drought victim

The loneliness of the desert tortoise

A once-abundant species struggles to survive

Oh for tortoise Tinder
|Joshua Tree National Park

THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA desert is not for the faint of heart. The temperature rises above 100°F (38°C) in the summer. There are months of suffocating dryness, and flash flooding during monsoon season. Yet the desert in Joshua Tree National Park is filled with life.

This article appeared in the United States section of the print edition under the headline “The loneliness of the desert tortoise”

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