🐢 Mojave desert tortoise vs Gila monster 🦎
The gila monster is about twice as long as the Mojave desert tortoise. The Mojave desert tortoise weighs about 10 times as much as the gila monster.
| Row | 🐢 Mojave desert tortoise | 🦎 Gila monster |
|---|---|---|
| Top speed We don't have a checked number for the Mojave desert tortoise yet. | no checked number yet | 1.5 mph2.4 km/h1 |
| Weight The Mojave desert tortoise weighs about 10 times as much as the gila monster. | 7.9 to 15 lb3.6 to 6.8 kg2 | 16 oz450 g3 |
| Lives The Mojave desert tortoise usually lives about 3 times as long as the gila monster. | 50 to 80 years50 to 80 years2 | 20 years20 years1 |
| Eats The Mojave desert tortoise eats plants; the gila monster eats meat. | grasses, wildflowers and cactus pads | bird and reptile eggs, and small animals from nests and burrows |
| Lives in They can live in the same kind of place. | the Mojave Desert of California, Nevada, Arizona and Utah | the deserts of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico |
Which one? Mojave desert tortoise or gila monster
🏁 Who would win the race?
We don't have a checked top speed for the Mojave desert tortoise yet, so there is no race.
We only race. Real animals mostly avoid each other. A race is the only fair contest: who reaches the tree first, by top speed.
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Getting the animals ready…
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The link carries only the two animals’ names: peabody.kids/animals/compare/desert-tortoise-vs-gila-monster
Where these numbers come from
- Smithsonian's National Zoo, checked 30 October 2026.
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, species profile, checked 30 October 2026.
- National Park Service, Saguaro National Park, checked 30 October 2026.