lovich: finished. the typical clutch size here at this site is about 4 eggs. we've had some tortoises produce as many as 8 in a single clutch, and they can produce up to 12 eggs a year in 3 clutches. narrator: released back into the wild, this female wilill ply a key role in helping understand tortoise reproduduction. man: there she goes. driver: how's that? woman: i think that's good. narrator: other reseaearch specifically tracks ravens in an effort to understand their behavior. woman: we go and take a gps point just directly underneath the nest, and i survey underneath the tower and look for any remains of juvenile tortoise carcasses, anything that might suggest tortoise predation. narrator: information such as raven nestingng and foraging hahabits is also collllected for further study. other studies include ways to reestablish tortoises in the wild and include programs like this head-start facility on the marine corps base in 29 palms, california. brian henen: the head-start facility is part of our overall progrgram to manage and protect the tortoises that