PALM DESERT--Pennsylvania may have Punxsutawney Phil, but the Inland Empire has Mojave Max to predict the arrival of spring.

Max, the 33-year-old tortoise, has been in a state of brumation since November at The Living Desert refuge. Spokeswoman Kimberly Bowers says Max may be about to emerge from her borrow.

“Once the weather has broken past the point of chilling, that’s when Mojave Max will come out. In the desert here in the Coachella Valley, that’s been usually in the month of February.”

Tortoises all across the Mojave Desert follow a similar 3-month sleep without food or water. (INT)

Story Date: September 2, 2010