A few new hatchling cherryheads

[cdmay]

Haven't posted for a while and so I thought I would throw up some recent hatchling photos. June was a pretty good month...

But one from this group of three had a nucal scute like one that hatched earlier this year. Notice the top hatchling with the small nucal.

The nucal scute on this hatchling is identical to the one that hatched before and it is also from the same pair of adults. As both scutes are symmetrical and uniform in size and shape I can only conclude that they are not deformities nor related to incubation. Still, it is a head scratcher.
A few really nice colored ones have appeared too.

The good thing is that I still have a bunch of eggs that look good and I should be getting hatching well into the fall.

 

[Chewbecca]

aww!
Congrats!
They're adorable!

My RFT hatchling has a nuchal scute as well.
You can see it here:

I got my little one from Turtletary.

 

[DoctorCosmonaut]

They are such surreal little things

 

[Jacqui]

Nice to see you back! And you brought us gifts in the form of pictures of some cuties!

 

[Nay]

I hate to appear dumb as to what a nucal scute is., but is that the little tiny one in the front on Chewbecca pic.. Looks like a teardrop??

 

[jlyoncc1]

Beautiful babies!!

 

[Madkins007]

Nay- yes, the 'nuchal' is the scute right behind the head. The weird things is that Red-foots don't usually have them. In fact, if I remember right, no South American tortoise should have one.

Hmmm, so if we toss out incubation, is it genetic? Does either parent have one? Are both parents the same race or morph, or whatever we are calling it this year?

Interesting torts, and gorgeous to boot!

 

[cdmay]

Hmmm, so if we toss out incubation, is it genetic? Does either parent have one? Are both parents the same race or morph, or whatever we are calling it this year?

In my case neither parent has the nuchal scute and in fact, I think I have only seen one other redfoot that had a nuchal before. At least I can't remember ever seeing more than one---and I have seen thousands of imported and captive raised redfoots.
Both parents are of the same morph and were (allegedly) imported from the same region of Brazil. I have had both animals for over 12 years and they have produced close to 200 hatchlings in the past 10 years. It IS possible that they might have produced other hatchlings with nuchal scutes in the past and that I simply didn't notice them.

 

[Crazy1]

cdmay they are beautiful hatchlings. Congratulations on those and more to come.

 

[gummybearpoop]

cdmay,

beautiful cherryheads and great pics

congrats!

 

[shelber10]

congradulations they are beautiful babies

 

[Mike Pingleton]

Those are some pretty hatchlings, Carl. I always like looking at 'breakout' photos Interesting, that bonus nuchal.
-Mike

 

[cdmay]

Those are some pretty hatchlings, Carl. I always like looking at 'breakout' photos Interesting, that bonus nuchal.
-Mike

Thanks Mike. Yep, breakout photos are cool.

 

[terryo]

Wonderful pictures, as usual Carl. Next up....some recent Bonsai pictures.

 

[baseballturtle48]

They're so pretty, especially by the handfull. What fun!