LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – Mojave Max has emerged from his Las Vegas Springs Preserve burrow on the second-latest date on record.
The desert tortoise welcomed the unofficial start of spring in Southern Nevada one day earlier than last year, making this his second-longest recorded brumation. Before that, the latest emergence date had been April 17 in 2012.
His earliest spring sighting was on Feb. 14 in 2005.
As part of the 24th annual Mojave Max Emergence Contest, elementary school students from Clark County have been studying Mojave Desert weather, temperatures and conditions to scientifically estimate when they believed Mojave Max would emerge from his burrow in 2024.
They entered their guesses online at www.mojavemax.com. The entries are being tabulated and the official winner of the Mojave Max Emergence Contest will be announced soon.
The winning student will receive prizes including a year-long family membership to the Springs Preserve, an “America the Beautiful” year-long family pass to National Parks and Federal Recreation areas, and a laptop computer.
The winner’s entire class will receive Olympic-style medals and T-shirts as well as a trophy for his or her school, and a field trip, with a pizza party, to the Springs Preserve to meet the live Mojave Max tortoise. The winning student’s teacher will also receive a laptop computer.
The Emergence Contest has taken place every year since 2000. More than 4,100 guesses were received during this year’s Emergence Contest.
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