Selca the Tortoise

As the temperatures raise with the Arizona summer Selca the Tortoise (a Geochelone)  times her appearances with the sprinkler daily activation. Two dribblers fill with water the depression she made in the back yard.  Selca likes to soak in the late afternoon, cover herself with mud, and eat the dog's left over food, occasionally supplemented with the latest available leftover veggies or fruits. In this case Selca is enjoying some seedless grapes. She is only 11 years old from the size of a quarter and in 10 more years will reach her full size of 250-350 pounds. After that bar any disease she will live an additional 140 years, so my kids will have to take her in at some point and perhaps my great grand kids if I ever have any. The oldest recordedGeochelone  named Tui Malila was presented to the Tongan royal family by the British explorer Captain Cook in either 1773 and lived to the age of at least 188 years old and died in 1953! Perhaps I will have my metal ash earn attached to her back (just kidding) but I am a little jealous to think she will probably be scooting around long after she witnesses my back yard garden wake. I have heard that the Arizona desert is almost identical to their central Africa habitat so if push comes to shove I have identified a year round spring where she can thrive.