Differences in star tortoises

[Az tortoise compound]

I am thinking this section of the forum could use a new sticky. Maybe one of our more educated members could post a thread on the differences between elegans and platynotas? Also comparisons amongst Indian varieties ie. indian and sri lankens?
Maybe it's all here and I haven't sifted through all the threads to find it. It sure would be nice if it was more easily available.
*my .02 for what it's worth*

 

[Tom]

Have you read this book?
http://tortoiseforum.org/Thread-Star-Tortoise-Book
It explains the differences very well.

 

[Az tortoise compound]

Thanks Tom, It is a very good read. To clarify, I was suggesting a sticky thread with some of this information posted. I know the info is out there with just a google search or two. I just think it would be a good addition to this forum on this site. Maybe I am just lazy, but I enjoy the one-stop shopping for information the rest of this site provides.

 

[Tom]

Copy that.

 

[agiletorts]

I am thinking this section of the forum could use a new sticky. Maybe one of our more educated members could post a thread on the differences between elegans and platynotas? Also comparisons amongst Indian varieties ie. indian and sri lankens?
Maybe it's all here and I haven't sifted through all the threads to find it. It sure would be nice if it was more easily available.
*my .02 for what it's worth*

Differentiating elegans and platynotas are not that difficult, especially in adults. One of the easiest way to tell is adult platynotas generally has 6 (or less) lines or points for each scutes; the lines connect with each other on the adjacent scutes. Elegans has a lot more than six lines per scutes, some up to 16 lines and they don't necessarily connect perfectly to the lines from adjacent scutes.

Differentiating Sri Lankas vs. Indians require some expertise and heavy experience in raising both as there is no real difference in DNA structure. Here in the US it's even harder as they're so many mix breed so I won't even try to do so.

 

[SILVERSTAR]

SO YOU ARE SAYING THAT THERE IS INDIAN AND SRI LANKAN -HYBRID TORTOISES???? IF SO ARE THEY HEALTHY?? IS THIS LOOKED DOWN UPON??

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So there are INDIAN and SRILANKAN tortoise -HYBRIDS??? if so are they healthy??? is this looked down upon??

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sorry i asked the same thing twice i wasnt aware that the first reply was posted....

 

[Redfoot NERD]

Well let's hear it for those [ ? ] that think they can/should name turtles and tortises.. ( whatever they want to ). They have the same science name for 'Indian' and ( the island of ) Sri Lanka - .elegans. AND then the same common name [ Star ] for an entirely different species of tortoise - .elegans and .platynota!

NO WONDER THERE'S CONFUSION!!!

This is not brain science or rocket surgery folks...

NERD

BTW agiletorts.. I always thot that adults of Sri were twice the size of Indians.. and are 'naturally' pyramided looking...
AND platynota have distinct "growth" rings on each scute.... that's real simple.

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SO YOU ARE SAYING THAT THERE IS INDIAN AND SRI LANKAN -HYBRID TORTOISES???? IF SO ARE THEY HEALTHY?? IS THIS LOOKED DOWN UPON??

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So there are INDIAN and SRILANKAN tortoise -HYBRIDS??? if so are they healthy??? is this looked down upon??

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sorry i asked the same thing twice i wasnt aware that the first reply was posted....

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Silver I hope agile meant the differences among the Northern.. Mainland.. and Southern [ India continent ] populations. We're now talking size and color! Yikes!!!

 

[SILVERSTAR]

IM SORRY YOU GUYS BOTH LOST ME,,LETS JUS SLOW IT UP A BIT TO WHERE I CAN KEEP UP WITH THE CONVERSATION AND MAYBE I WILL ACTUALLY HERE AN ANSWER TO MY QUESTIONS??

 

[Redfoot NERD]

IM SORRY YOU GUYS BOTH LOST ME,,LETS JUS SLOW IT UP A BIT TO WHERE I CAN KEEP UP WITH THE CONVERSATION AND MAYBE I WILL ACTUALLY HERE AN ANSWER TO MY QUESTIONS??

Silver 'almost' anything is possible.. but I don't think there are [ or heard of ] "hybrid" G. elegans.

 

[onarock]

this sounds familliar, I think I posted this somewhere else. When they are small hatchlings elegans and platynota are hard to tell apart. As they get older it gets easier. platynota fallow a rule, not a real strict rule, but a rule. platynota and elegans have lines called stria and on platynota these stria fallow a rule and it goes like this, ah one and ah two and ah three, joking, man im stupid. Anyway, platynota scutes have stria on them and I guess the easiest way to describe them would be a point in the middle with lines/stria coming out from the point, they have 5 vertabral scutes and the stria are 5-6-6-6-6 meaning a point with five lines coming from it on the first vertabral scute behind the head then 6 on the next scute then -6-so on and so forth. They have 4 pleural scutes same front to back but the stria are 7-6-7-5 and all their marginal scutes have 2 line stria in the shape of a V. Did I make sense? Who knows, I hope I did?

 

[geekinpink]

pictures could make it clearer

 

[onarock]

maybe this can help maybe not its ghetto

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maybe this can help maybe not its ghetto

I just previewed my own post picture its doo doo, if it works great, if not ill try again tomorrow