News

Mojave Max is a real live tortoise that lives at Springs Preserve. Every fall when the hot Las Vegas weather cools off, Max goes into his burrow to begin brumation. [...]

Mojave Max officially emerged from his burrow on April 23, 2024, at 3:09 p.m[...]

The Mojave Max Assembly applications are currently open! The assembly applications will remain open until Thursday, November 30, 2023 at 3:00 pm.[...]

Mojave Max is a real live tortoise that lives at Springs Preserve. Every fall when the hot Las Vegas weather cools off, Max goes into his burrow to begin brumation. (This is how Max hibernates.) In the spring, when the weather begins to warm up, Max emerges. The person who guesses as closely as possible to the correct day, hour, and minute when Max will emerge from his burrow wins!

Mojave Max officially emerged from his burrow April 24, 2023 at 3:40 pm. The earliest he has emerged was February 14, 2005 at 11:55 am. The latest he has emerged is April 17, 2012, at 12:41 pm. Mojave Max is a live desert tortoise who calls the Las Vegs Springs Preserve his home. Like other southern Nevada reptiles, he enters a burrow to brumate (the reptilian form of hibernation) every winter and emerges every spring. Mojave Max’s emergence marks the beginning of spring-like weather in southern Nevada. Warmer temperatures, longer daylight hours, and his own internal clock are factors known to contribute to his emergence every year.[...]

Desert tortoises are kind of our “thing” around here. Although many of us celebrate them every day, the first week of October each year is a time for everyone to show appreciation for the desert tortoise. This week is all about raising awareness and promoting the protection and recovery of one of the desert’s most iconic species. The Mojave desert tortoise was listed under the Endangered Species Act as threatened in 1990 due to habitat loss, habitat fragmentation and predation. While the tortoise faces many threats, humans can be part of their recovery. Explore MojaveMax.com to learn more about what you can do to help Respect, Protect, and Enjoy our desert.

Mojave Max is a real live tortoise that lives at Springs Preserve. Every fall when the hot Las Vegas weather cools off, Max goes into his burrow to begin brumation. (This is how Max hibernates.) In the spring, when the weather begins to warm up, Max emerges. The person who guesses as closely as possible to the correct day, hour, and minute when Max will emerge from his burrow wins! Teachers are encouraged to request a Mojave Max School Assembly or Mojave Max Tortoise Talk so their students can learn more about the desert tortoise and have a better chance at guessing the correct day he will emerge.

Today, the Clark County Desert Conservation Program announced the winner of the 23rd annual Mojave Max Emergence Contest. The winner is 4th grader Riley D. from Edna F. Hinman Elementary School. Riley’s guess on Mojave Max’s emergence date and time was closest to the actual date and time he emerged. Riley guessed Max would emerge on March 26, 2022 at 12:14 p.m. and Max officially emerged from his burrow on March 26, 2022 at 12:21 p.m. Of the 2,727 guesses submitted by students throughout Clark County, 45 of them were on the correct date of March 26, 2022. Riley’s guess, which was submitted on March 8, 2022 on MojaveMax.com, was only seven minutes different from the actual time. The next closest guess was nine minutes different.[...]

Mojave Max officially emerged from his burrow March 26, 2022 at 12:21 pm. The earliest he has emerged was February 14, 2005 at 11:55 am. The latest he has emerged is April 17, 2012, at 12:41 pm. Mojave Max is a live desert tortoise who calls the Las Vegs Springs Preserve his home. Like other southern Nevada reptiles, he enters a burrow to brumate (the reptilian form of hibernation) every winter and emerges every spring. Mojave Max’s emergence marks the beginning of spring-like weather in southern Nevada. [...]

Mojave Max is a real live tortoise that lives at Springs Preserve. Every fall when the hot Las Vegas weather cools off, Max goes into his burrow to begin brumation. (This is how Max hibernates.) In the spring, when the weather begins to warm up, Max emerges. The person who guesses as closely as possible [...]

Mojave Max officially emerged from his burrow Thursday, April 15, 2021 at 11:34 am. The earliest he has emerged was February 14, 2005 at 11:55 am[...]

The Mojave Max Assembly Applications are now closed and will reopen in the fall of next year. The Mojave Max Education Team will review the applications received from all of our area schools and will notify everyone, regardless of whether their school was selected, within the next couple of weeks. [...]

Fourth-grade student Lillian Schern of Somerset Academy | Sky Pointe will be recognized as the winner of the 2020 Mojave Max Emergence Contest on Tuesday, April 21st at 10 a.m. Lillian was surprised by the news from her teacher, Ms. Erin Bybee.[...]

Mojave Max officially emerged from his burrow Wednesday, April 1, 2020 at 11:39 am. The earliest he has emerged was Feb. 14, 2005, at 11:55 a.m. The latest he has emerged is April 17, 2012, at 12:41 pm.[...]

The Mojave Max Emergence Contest is currently open. Teachers and students, you can enter your guess as to when you think Mojave Max will emerge from his burrow by filling out the Emergence Contest Form. And teachers, you can enter guesses FOR ALL YOUR STUDENTS on one form! Think about the day, hour, and minute when you think Mojave Max will emerge from his burrow at Springs Preserve, and enter your guess on line at: LEARN > EMERGENCE CONTEST > The Mojave Max Emergence Contest is Currently Open .[...]

Mojave Max is a real live tortoise that lives at Springs Preserve. Every fall when the hot Las Vegas weather cools off, Max goes into his burrow to begin brumation. (This is how Max hibernates.) In the spring, when the weather begins to warm up, Max emerges. The person who guesses as closely as possible [...]

Hi friends! Just a reminder to please stay on designated roads and trails when traveling or hiking in the desert. This simple act will help protect plants that desert tortoises and other desert animals rely on for food.[...]

Today, Sierra Love-Crayton and her fifth-grade classmates from Pat Diskin Elementary School celebrated Sierra as the winner of the 2019 Mojave Max Emergence Contest. The field trip to Springs Preserve is just one of the prizes Sierra received for winning this year’s Mojave Max Emergence Contest.[...]

Fifth-grade student Sierra Love-Crayton of Pat Diskin Elementary School was announced as the winner of the 2019 Mojave Max Emergence Contest on April 11th. She was surprised by the news of her winning contest submission with a visit by the Mojave Max team including the Mojave Max mascot, as well as County Commissioner Naft and news media outlets.[...]

A fifth-grade student in Jessica Miller’s class at Pat Diskin Elementary School will be recognized as the winner of the 2019 Mojave Max Emergence Contest on Thursday, April 11 at 1 p.m. at the school, located at 4220 Ravenwood Drive in Las Vegas. The winner and classmates will enjoy a visit from the Mojave Max [...]

Mojave Max officially emerged from his burrow Saturday, March 30, 2019 at 1:28 pm. The earliest he has emerged was Feb. 14, 2005, at 11:55 a.m. The latest he has emerged is April 17, 2012, at 12:41 pm. Mojave Max is a live desert tortoise who calls the Las Vegas Springs Preserve his home. Like [...]

We've kicked off the 2019 Mojave Max Assembly season! The Mojave Max education team brings assemblies to elementary schools in Clark County to educate students in ways they can help to respect, protect and enjoy our desert. The assemblies include appearances by a Ranger who discusses desert tortoise biology and conservation, an educator who discusses [...]

How have you been spending your summer so far? I don't know about you, but I'm feeling a bit lazy right now (that's allowed, right?!) When I do get a burst of energy, though, I like to wander outside my burrow before the weather gets too hot and take a look at the pretty flowers. [...]

This is the 18th year that we've held the Mojave Max Emergence Contest and on Tuesday, April 17th, Giulia Montaldo and her classmates from Doral Academy - Saddle Campus got to visit the Springs Preserve as she celebrated her win. Giulia guessed that Mojave Max would emerge on March 23, 2018 at 11:33 am, while [...]

Fourth-grade student Giulia Montaldo of Doral Academy was recognized as the winner of the 2018 Mojave Max Emergence Contest on Tuesday, April 10th at Doral Academy Saddle Campus! Giulia and her classmates enjoyed a visit by the Mojave Max team and the Mojave Max mascot where she and her classmates received their Mojave Max t-shirts, their Mojave Max [...]

Fourth-grade student Giulia Montaldo of Doral Academy will be recognized as the winner of the 2018 Mojave Max Emergence Contest on Tuesday, April 10th at 1:30 pm at Doral Academy Saddle Campus located at 9625 W. Saddle Avenue, Las Vegas. Giulia and her classmates will enjoy a visit by the Mojave Max team and the [...]