# THE BIGGEST SULCATA KNOWN...TTPG TOUR!



## DeanS (Dec 15, 2014)

Kenan Harkin produces a show called *ANIMAL BYTES. * In the last episode of the year, he takes us on a tour of Bob Blome's massive compound...where you'll get to meet the largest sulcata you've EVER seen! Tom estimates him to be around 42" SCL and at least 300 pounds...and probably closer to 400! ENJOY!






This would be a great companion video to Tom's post last month...

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/biggest-sulcatas-ive-ever-seen.105846/


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## Yvonne G (Dec 15, 2014)

Darn it! For some unknown reason my fairly new speakers have decided to not work. The light comes on, but no sound. Wish I could have heard what he had to say. I'm assuming that last animal was the big one?


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## leopard777 (Dec 15, 2014)

yes , that's the big dude , tom posted a while ago


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## Momof4 (Dec 15, 2014)

This video made my day!!! I have never really seen these guys in action! I wish more members posted videos to give us a better understanding of these beautiful creatures!


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## naturalman91 (Dec 15, 2014)

i watch animal bytes all the time i remember when it was snakebytes wish they still did that.

that is a HUGE sully i wonder if females have any problems with holding him during breeding....


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## Anthony P (Dec 15, 2014)

Another wonderful video by these guys. I wish I could've gotten down to Arizona :-(


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## mike taylor (Dec 15, 2014)

Sweet video! Thanks I really enjoyed it .


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## wellington (Dec 15, 2014)

Nice. Love the place. That is a biggen


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## Tom (Dec 15, 2014)

I'm not sure that last one in the video was the biggest one.


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## orv (Dec 15, 2014)

Well, while my wife knits and watches The Voice, I am enjoying Kamp Kenan. Much better.


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## diamondbp (Dec 15, 2014)

Incredible video. I appreciate the owner allowing that video to be made and shared. It made my day


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## stojanovski92113 (Dec 15, 2014)

Thanks for sharing  I love to see stuff like this. I remember when Tom posted the picture on a different thread, the sulcata looked enormous!! On video the tortoise didn't look as huge but still a gigantic tortoise indeed!!


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## Blakem (Dec 15, 2014)

Way cool. What an honor it would be to see these guys in action and in person.


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## DeanS (Dec 15, 2014)

Tom said:


> I'm not sure that last one in the video was the biggest one.


Neither was Bob...but the beak matches the big guy in your photos...for whatever that's worth


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## jeffjeff (Dec 16, 2014)

wow. what a place to visit i'm so jealous.


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## Tom (Dec 16, 2014)

DeanS said:


> Neither was Bob...but the beak matches the big guy in your photos...for whatever that's worth



That's what I was looking for in the video, but i couldn't quite see it well enough.


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## leopard777 (Dec 16, 2014)

i look back at the photo on thread and compare on the video , notice the side scutes look different


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## Merrick (Dec 17, 2014)

naturalman91 said:


> i watch animal bytes all the time i remember when it was snakebytes wish they still did that.
> 
> that is a HUGE sully i wonder if females have any problems with holding him during breeding....


They still do snakes bytes it us on Thursday u think in the same channel


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## DeanS (Dec 17, 2014)

Here's a photo of Kenan from that same session...these measurements don't come close to panning out with the estimates Tom and I made from his photos...this one is smaller!


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## Tom (Dec 17, 2014)

While I was there, there were several very large tortoises like this one. When I saw that mondo giant one it was obviously different and much bigger than all the other giants that were housed with it. It also had an underbite, which I don't think the one eating the pumpkin in the video does.

To me the most telling thing is Bob's indecision about it. If he's not sure its the big boy, its not the big boy. That big one is unmistakable. 

They broke the tours up into two groups. I went to Jerry's place in the morning and Bob's in the afternoon. Kenan was with the other group.

I've got to say something else too. For those who have not met Bob, he is a really good guy. Very friendly, approachable, and happy to talk tortoises with anyone of any experience level. I've only seen him a few times at the TTPG and somehow the guy remembers my name even amongst the dozens of other members that all want to talk to him. He is very down to earth and humble and I'm glad to know him.


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## leopard777 (Dec 17, 2014)

bob mention that he doesnt dig out the eggs to incubate ,guess is the theory of only the strong survives ?


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## Tom (Dec 17, 2014)

leopard777 said:


> bob mention that he doesnt dig out the eggs to incubate ,guess is the theory of only the strong survives ?



I wish Bob were here to answer for himself. There are all sorts of theories, but I think it is more a case of the path of least resistance. Eggs will hatch in the ground there with their year round good weather, and I think that digging up hundreds of sulcata nests and incubating thousands of eggs is just not practical. He does dig them up when he sees them, he says, but most hatch in the ground.


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## Tom (Dec 17, 2014)

leopard777 said:


> bob mention that he doesnt dig out the eggs to incubate ,guess is the theory of only the strong survives ?



To elaborate further: I have heard many people say that the ones hatching out of the ground are more vigorous, "stronger", or somehow better and more fit. My personal observation have been just the opposite. Mine hatch out of the ground and they are just fine, but the ones I hatch inside and start with my African Rainy season simulation routine simply thrive. It takes a week or two of constant "nursing" to get the in-gound ones up to the same level as the incubated ones. I suspect that if a person was using the dry routine for their babies, then their incubated ones would be lacking vigor and health, while the ones coming out of the ground would be at a more developed stage and seem healthier somehow.

I think a person's opinion on this is going to vary with _how_ they start their babies.


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## Merrick (Dec 17, 2014)

If you live in the area like him than his torts are likely to do good because they are hatched in and used to the environment they may even evolve to do better in that specific environment because of natural selection if hatched tortoises


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## Tom (Dec 17, 2014)

teen tort said:


> If you live in the area like him than his torts are likely to do good because they are hatched in and used to the environment they may even evolve to do better in that specific environment because of natural selection if hatched tortoises



To see this sort of "evolution" would take at least a few generations, wouldn't it? Probably many many generations, right? They have not been there that long.

And if this were what was going on, wouldn't mine also "evolve" and be "used to" my environment, which is not all that different than AZ in the first place?


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## DeanS (Dec 17, 2014)

Tom said:


> To elaborate further: I have heard many people say that the ones hatching out of the ground are more vigorous, "stronger", or somehow better and more fit. My personal observation have been just the opposite. Mine hatch out of the ground and they are just fine, but the ones I hatch inside and start with my African Rainy season simulation routine simply thrive. It takes a week or two of constant "nursing" to get the in-gound ones up to the same level as the incubated ones. I suspect that if a person was using the dry routine for their babies, then their incubated ones would be lacking vigor and health, while the ones coming out of the ground would be at a more developed stage and seem healthier somehow.
> 
> I think a person's opinion on this is going to vary with _how_ they start their babies.


The problem is NOBODY else raises them 'African' style...and almost all babies produced...except for those reigning from Santa Clarita...are raised dry! I can't say anymore or might leak Tom's next project...which I should leave to him...but I'll be doing the same thing with the few sources I have...


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## Merrick (Dec 17, 2014)

Tom said:


> To see this sort of "evolution" would take at least a few generations, wouldn't it? Probably many many generations, right? They have not been there that long.
> 
> And if this were what was going on, wouldn't mine also "evolve" and be "used to" my environment, which is not all that different than AZ in the first place?


Yeah but you have to start somewhere.


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## Yvonne G (Dec 22, 2014)

This wasn't on the tour, but I was looking at pictures through Google about enclosures, and this picture came up:




I went to the site for the picture and it's on Tom Crutchfield's site. Is that Tom Crutchfield? And do you think the picture is a bit distorted because the tortoise is closer to the camera (his hands look pretty big)? Also, does it look like someone has shaved off the gular?

Sorry for going off topic, but this is one very large sulcata tortoise, no?


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## cassieopia (Apr 20, 2015)

Wow! Look at that! To be so lucky as to have one turn out that size! So Blessed!


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## bouaboua (Apr 20, 2015)

Somehow the video link are not there anymore......??How come??


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## Merrick (Apr 20, 2015)

bouaboua said:


> Somehow the video link are not there anymore......??How come??


The channel deletes the content but kamp kenan has it on his channel I think in stead of animal bytes


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## bouaboua (Apr 20, 2015)

Merrick said:


> The channel deletes the content but kamp kenan has it on his channel I think in stead of animal bytes


Thank you!!!


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## IRTehDuckie (Apr 20, 2015)

naturalman91 said:


> i watch animal bytes all the time i remember when it was snakebytes wish they still did that.
> 
> that is a HUGE sully i wonder if females have any problems with holding him during breeding....





they still do snakebytes.. I used to work for Brian a little bit.


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## ZEROPILOT (Apr 21, 2015)

That picture should be on the fish tank of every tortoise that pet stores sell.


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## Merrick (Apr 21, 2015)

ZEROPILOT said:


> That picture should be on the fish tank of every tortoise that pet stores sell.


True also a picture of their huge burrow


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## Merrick (May 14, 2015)

it is here!!


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## Tortoisefanatic88 (May 16, 2015)

Merrick said:


> it is here!!


Great video. Thanks for sharing. Does anyone else have anymore pictures or videos of monstrous sulcatas?


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## Moose (May 16, 2015)

Great video... Was the weight ever specified on the largest Sulcata in the video?


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## eric joranson (Feb 28, 2017)

this is a sulcata that is kept in the zoo in Mexico City.....sorry I could not get a better shot; but it was keeping a low profile Biggest I have seen (no one there could tell he his age)


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## SarahChelonoidis (Feb 28, 2017)

eric joranson said:


> this is a sulcata that is kept in the zoo in Mexico City.....sorry I could not get a better shot; but it was keeping a low profile Biggest I have seen (no one there could tell he his age)


 
You sure that was a sulcata?


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## cmacusa3 (Feb 28, 2017)

SarahChelonoidis said:


> You sure that was a sulcata?


I agree, I don't think so


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## eric joranson (Feb 28, 2017)

SarahChelonoidis said:


> You sure that was a sulcata?


not sure with out a closer look.....


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## cmacusa3 (Feb 28, 2017)

eric joranson said:


> not sure with out a closer look.....


A Sulcata would have much larger leg spurs.


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