Mojave Maxine fans wait for her weather prediction on Groundhog Day

It’s a desert twist on Groundhog Day.

Mojave Maxine, a 40 year-old tortoise at The Living Desert, is celebrating her 9th year of announcing whether spring has sprung. This comes following Punxsutawney Phil’s annual shadow reading. His early morning prediction declared a long winter.

Meanwhile, Mojave Maxine is still asleep in a period of brumation, the reptilian form of hibernation. When she does pop out of her den, it’s an indication of warmer weather ahead.

News Channel 3 and CBS Local 2’s Kelley Moody brought live coverage and weather from Maxine’s enclosure and spoke with representatives from The Living Desert.

Director of Conservation- Peter Siminski called the tortoise a forecaster.

“She’s so sensitive to external cues, [such as] warming weather, increasing daylight, and even moisture and rainfall may affect when she’ll come out,” Siminski said.

“We don’t have groundhogs here in the desert. We have desert tortoises, and they are a threatened species on the endangered species list, so getting the word out about tortoises is a great way to talk about them, especially on Groundhog Day.”

If you have a guess on when Mojave Maxine will emerge, The Living Desert is holding a competition for students K-12 and their classrooms. You can find more information on their website.