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Hey guys! I've had my greek tortoises for about a year now and today just officially moved them outdoors. I've been told both of them are females since they don't have any indents in their plastrons, and they get along well. However both look very different, I bought them from a reptile show with them just advertised as "greek tortoises". I chose them for their outgoing personalities and seemingly healthy characteristics, not necessarily how pretty they are. They are now in a 40"x47" wooden crate (wood has been treated to prevent rot!) with a substrate of hay (I need some cage design help, any is much appreciated from the experts!) and I feed them a lot of assorted greens. Anywho, here's some pictures if you could at all possibly help me be more specific about their locale. If you need more photos, let me know!

Dan?

Your duller greek is from the Jordan/Israel area, they were Testudo graeca floweri, but floweri isn't valid so they need a new subspecies name.
Your lighter colored greek looks to be a natural cross between T.g. antakyensis and T.g.terrestris (Golden greek). I have a pair that look like this and a few more that look more Golden greek like.

Danny

Woohooo, Deontay and I looked at the pics and wagered our guesses, and we were 75% right! Got the Jordanian one, and guess Golden Greek on the other so that counts for something! See Danny, you're teaching us well!

alright Kelly!!!!

Ok Danny, here goes, How can you tell?????
I looked and looked and I just can't get it down yet. I knew the lighter one looked kind of like T.g. antakyensis -because mine are part this subspecies but I didn't get the Jordanian at all? Help please, Just trying to learn.

Shannon, congratulations on your beautiful greeks, and Welcome.

Thanks a lot!! I'd also like to know which distinguishing features you noticed in order for you to come up with your thesis? I've been reading about the different localities, and if you could explain it'd make things a lot more clear in my head!

Not to mention it'd just be interesting to know. How do you know so much about Greeks?

Thanks again!

Here is Danny's post on identifying the Antakyans.


http://tortoiseforum.org/antakyan-greek-...-1465.html

Okay here goes
With the Jordanian, it's the domed shell, muted colors, small head and when they do have a bit of yellow on their head it's just on the top.
I'm pretty positive on the T.g.antakyensis/T.g.terrestris cross but to be sure I'd need a, straight down from the top, carapace shot. I'd be looking at how wide the 5th vertebral scute is. You can see this in the link that Anja posted.
It helps that I've been keeping tortoises for 31 years. I've also seen sooooooooooooooooooooooooooo many greeks over the years. I also have read anything and everything I can get my hands on about all tortoises. It also helps to have over 50 Greeks. and there will be no counting, because I really don't want to know exactly how many. Look what you made me do I counted, 88 I really didn't want to know that

Danny

Thanks Danny, just know that you helped a girl out. I am trying to learn all I can about Greeks all Greeks then I plan to move on to other torts. I know some things about Greeks and other torts but I want to know more...More....MORE! And Yes I know I will never really know all there is to know but then maybe in 31+ years I will be able to identify them too. Let see that will make me in my 8….. Yep older and I hope wiser by then.
So do you have one of each subspecies? and then what crosses? I know you have the natural cross between T.g. antakyensis and T.g.terrestris and the Natural cross between Antakyensis Jordanian/Israeli like mine.