Make way! Coming through! The desert tortoise is longtime (15- or 20-million-year) resident of the Mojave Desert. While these gentle creatures were commonly encountered by people up until the mid-1990s, today they are rarely seen and are federally listed as threatened. Because desert tortoises are slow-moving (obviously), they are particularly vulnerable to oncoming vehicles, both on and off road. Populations of desert tortoises also face predation from ravens, vandalism, and pet-trade collectio