The Rio Grande Cooter: A Desert Turtle is the Lovable Face of an Endangered Watershed Originally broadcast on December 24, 2020 By Andrew Stuart There are few things as magical as flowing water in the desert. Such places refresh both the body and the spirit, and in a land like ours, their presence can feel like an unearned gift. We immediately sense such places are special, and important. These places – where springs create pools and streams – are also sanctuaries for some of the most remarkable, if unlikely, desert creatures. Behold the Rio Grande Cooter – scientific name Pseudemys gorzugi. This turtle wasn’t recognized as a distinct species until the 1980s, and scientists have only begun to unlock its secrets. Its future, however, is as tenuous as the watershed it calls home.