As part of the project to translocate [1] 60 desert tortoises to the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS), a competition was held to name the fastest moving tortoise. From the more than 100 suggested names, Scurry was the winner with 30 votes posted on NNSS’s Facebook page [2]. Second place was Rock Steady and third place was Taco.
The name Scurry certainly fits this young but incredibly fast tortoise, who has traveled more than six kilometers since Sept. 21, 2012, when he and 59 of his friends were moved from the Desert Tortoise Conservation Center in Las Vegas to the Nevada National Security Site.
Following the translocation, Scurry immediately went on the move and surpassed even the quickest of his mates. Most of the tortoises, including Scurry, are settling down now and are expected to claim one general burrowing location for the rest of the fall and winter. Each week researchers continue to record the location, burrow size and type and the kind of plants surrounding the burrows of each tortoise.
The winning name came from Patricia Guy Cooper who received a gift basket provided by the Nevada Field Office.
