2018 is off to a hot start and it doesn’t look like it’s going to cool down anytime soon…or ever again. Wednesday, Mojave Maxine, The Living Desert’s version Punxsutawney Phil, woke up from her winter slumber signifying that, well, it’s freakin’ way too hot way too soon.
“It has been unseasonably warm this year and our desert animals tell time by the weather, not the calendar,” Sarah Greely, Desert Tortoise Conservation Coordinator at The Living Desert, said in a news release. “Typically Maxine emerges in February, and her January debut means we could be in for a warm year.”
Oh joy.
There was a contest for students to guess when Maxine would emerge. Not sure who the winner is yet, but, if your kid is the contest next year, just guess January 1.
Move out the way Punxsutawney Phil! Spring is off to an early start this year as #MojaveMaxine emerged from brumation (reptilian hibernation) yesterday, January 31, at 12:28 p.m. Maxine is predicting a warm season, people! #catchMeOutside #GroundhogsDay #TheLivingDesert pic.twitter.com/uP7GJwBc9w
— The Living Desert (@livingdesert) February 1, 2018
