photo credit: The Living Desert
The Living Desert Zoo in Palm Springs is hosting a cute contest for kids called the Mojave Maxine Emergence Contest! It is similar to guessing if the groundhog will see his shadow or not on Groundhog’s Day. But with the Majove Maxine Emergence Contest, there is more scientific evidence to help you answer the question…or at least try to!
The question to answer is “When will Mojave Maxine emerge for spring?” Guess correctly and your teacher will win fun prizes for your entire class!
Here’s a little history about Mojave Maxine according to the zoo’s website:
Let me introduce myself, my name is Maxine and I live at The Living Desert. I’m a desert tortoise, which means I’m a reptile. I have scales to protect me from the sharp rocks and prickly plants found in my desert home. My family dates back over 10,000 years in the desert. I like warm temperatures better than cold, and I’m an herbivore, I just eat plants. I burrow deep in the desert floor to stay warm in the winter and cool in the summer. You see, the temperature stays pretty constant down in my comfy burrow. After a good winter rain, my favorite foods become plentiful. I especially like bright colored flowers, yum! When I feel a chill, I go into my burrow and enter a state of sleep called brumation. This is the reptile version of hibernation. While in brumination, I’m staying warm and conserving my energy, awaiting just the right time to emerge from my burrow. My internal time clock ticks and tocks, waiting for the long, warm days to return in the early spring. I also know plenty of food will be available for me to munch on! I’ve been living at The Living Desert since April, 1997, and my estimated hatch year is 1977. That makes me 39 years old in 2016, but I might live for almost 100 years! I weigh about 11 pounds. I have a puzzle for you. Guess the date and time that I will emerge this season from my burrow and The Living Desert will provide a prize to the winners.
Who Can Play?
Southern California K-12 students from the following counties: Imperial, Inyo, Kern, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, and Ventura.
What Will You Win?
A $50 gift certificate, a Federal Lands Pass, a visit from a Desert Tortoise, Mojave Maxine t-shirts for your entire class and a $100 gift certificate for your teacher.
How Do You Win?
Submit the date and time that you think Mojave Maxine will emerge from her burrow for the first time in 2016. The first entry, in each of the nine eligible counties, closest to the exact time on the day she emerges will win.