Do some Russian tortoises stay dark?

[KelseaB]

Clyde has a lot of dark coloring on his shell. Most adult Russians I see online are a lighter colored. Do some stay dark or is it normal for then to start dark then lighten up?

Attached current Clyde pic because he's adorable should break 60 grams this week.

 

[wellington]

Very pretty. Yes, he looks very normal. He could stay dark but will likely lighten some.

 

[KelseaB]

I hope he stays dark. Thank you for your answer. Most I've seen are all very light so I wasn't sure

 

[DARKFIRE007]

I can't answer your question because I honestly don't know...but what I CAN tell you is I saw a Russian in this section like a week ago that looked like that and it was full grown. Gorgeous thing too. If it stays that way it will definitely be on the rarer side for Russian's.