Table 11. Foods eaten by adult desert tortoises during during spring 1992 (24 March–21 June) at the Desert Tortoise Research Natural Area, eastern Kern County, California.
| Species | No. Bites | % Bites |
|---|---|---|
| Acmispon brachycarpus | 10,512 | 29.70 |
| Mirabilis laevis | 3,820 | 10.79 |
| Chamaesyce albomarginata | 3,801 | 10.74 |
| Astragalus layneae | 2,902 | 8.20 |
| Prenanthella exigua | 1,977 | 5.59 |
| Astragalus didymocarpus | 1,623 | 4.59 |
| Erodium cicutarium | 1,391 | 3.93 |
| Eremothera boothii | 1,367 | 3.86 |
| Chorizanthe brevicornu | 919 | 2.60 |
| Phacelia tanacetifolia | 710 | 2.01 |
| Amsinckia tessellata | 683 | 1.93 |
| Mentzelia spp. | 576 | 1.63 |
| Cryptantha circumcissa | 561 | 1.59 |
| Eriastrum eremicum | 516 | 1.46 |
| Plantago ovata | 430 | 1.22 |
| Gilia minor | 342 | 0.97 |
| Stylocline psilocarphoides | 334 | 0.94 |
| Tetrapteron palmeri | 266 | 0.75 |
| Schismus barbatus | 244 | 0.69 |
| Malacothrix coulteri | 217 | 0.61 |
| Lupinus odoratus | 211 | 0.60 |
| Stephanomeria parryi | 131 | 0.37 |
| Malacothrix glabrata | 125 | 0.35 |
| Chaenactis fremontii | 119 | 0.34 |
| Pectocarya spp. | 88 | 0.25 |
| Loeseliastrum schottii | 79 | 0.22 |
| Tropidocarpum gracile | 75 | 0.21 |
| Linanthus dichotomus | 66 | 0.19 |
| Allium fimbriatum | 25 | 0.07 |
| Oxytheca perfoliata | 25 | 0.07 |
| Unknown grass sp. | 18 | 0.05 |
| Pholistoma membranaceum | 14 | 0.04 |
| Chorizanthe rigida | 12 | 0.03 |
| Eriogonum gracillimum | 12 | 0.03 |
| Eriogonum pusillum | 12 | 0.03 |
| Bromus madritensis | 9 | 0.03 |
| Caulanthus inflatus | 8 | 0.02 |
| Calycoseris parryi | 7 | 0.02 |
| Astragalus acutirostris | 5 | 0.01 |
| Ambrosia salsola | 4 | 0.01 |
| Linanthus parryae | 4 | 0.01 |
| Lomatium mohavense | 2 | 0.01 |
| Chaenactis carphoclinia | 1 | 0.00 |
| dead lizard (Gambelia wislizeni) | 695 | 1.96 |
| unidentified plants | 414 | 1.17 |
| tortoise scat | 36 | 0.10 |
| Total | 35,388 | 100.00 |
Plant names in boldface are herbaceous perennials.