LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — Southern Nevada’s most famous desert tortoise, Mojave Max, is still in brumation despite several days of spring-like weather across the valley.
Max, a longtime resident of the Springs Preserve and a well-known symbol of the changing seasons, remains in his underground burrow, Clark County officials said Tuesday.
Mojave Max has been emerging later in recent years, with him emergence coming on May 8 last year.
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His emergence is widely regarded as the unofficial arrival of spring in Southern Nevada. Warmer temperatures, longer daylight hours and his internal biological clock are all believed to influence when he finally surfaces.
Because Max has not yet appeared, local students still have time to enter the Mojave Max Emergence Contest, hosted by the Clark County Department of Environment and Sustainability.
The contest invites schoolchildren to predict the exact date and time Max will emerge. Entries can be submitted online.
The closes prediction will win the grand prize, which includes T-shirts for their while class, Olympic-style medals, a trophy for their school, and a pizza party and field trip to the Springs Preserve to meet Mojave Max.
The winning student will also receive a laptop computer, a yearlong family membership to the Springs Preserve, an “America the Beautiful” annual pass to National Parks and Federal Recreation Areas, and a backpack filled with outdoor gear. The winner’s teacher will also receives a laptop computer.
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