Geochelone or Chelonoidis?
- Thread starter Madkins007
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If you like this sort of science stuff, read on. If you are not so interested in this stuff, you may want to skip this! 
Kind of going on a side trip from the initial purpose of this tread, but the report that Mike Pingleton mentioned (Le, Minh, and C.J. Raxworthy, W. P. McCord, L, Mertz. 2006. A molecular phylogeny of tortoises (Testudines: Testudinidae) based on mitochondrial and nuclear genes. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 40 (2006) pp. 517–531.) has some interesting things in it that reinforces ideas that have been suggested elsewhere.
For a long time, the theory was that Red-foots and other South American tortoises came from the US, and are probably related to the Gopher Tortoises.
A more recent theory had them come from Africa, like several monkey species and Guinea pigs. The DNA and other research discussed in this article suggests that not only is this the case, but based on DNA, Red-foots and other SA tortoises and Hinge-backs are almost sisters! They seem to be more closely related to each other than to other African species.
Almost equally interesting, although maybe not to this thread, is that the Gophers and Burmese Tortoises are closely related as well, using the same research.
Forgive me my excitement- I just think this stuff is so cool!
Kind of going on a side trip from the initial purpose of this tread, but the report that Mike Pingleton mentioned (Le, Minh, and C.J. Raxworthy, W. P. McCord, L, Mertz. 2006. A molecular phylogeny of tortoises (Testudines: Testudinidae) based on mitochondrial and nuclear genes. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 40 (2006) pp. 517–531.) has some interesting things in it that reinforces ideas that have been suggested elsewhere.
For a long time, the theory was that Red-foots and other South American tortoises came from the US, and are probably related to the Gopher Tortoises.
A more recent theory had them come from Africa, like several monkey species and Guinea pigs. The DNA and other research discussed in this article suggests that not only is this the case, but based on DNA, Red-foots and other SA tortoises and Hinge-backs are almost sisters! They seem to be more closely related to each other than to other African species.
Almost equally interesting, although maybe not to this thread, is that the Gophers and Burmese Tortoises are closely related as well, using the same research.
Forgive me my excitement- I just think this stuff is so cool!
Madkins007 said:If you like this sort of science stuff, read on. If you are not so interested in this stuff, you may want to skip this!
Kind of going on a side trip from the initial purpose of this tread, but the report that Mike Pingleton mentioned (Le, Minh, and C.J. Raxworthy, W. P. McCord, L, Mertz. 2006. A molecular phylogeny of tortoises (Testudines: Testudinidae) based on mitochondrial and nuclear genes. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 40 (2006) pp. 517–531.) has some interesting things in it that reinforces ideas that have been suggested elsewhere.
For a long time, the theory was that Red-foots and other South American tortoises came from the US, and are probably related to the Gopher Tortoises.
A more recent theory had them come from Africa, like several monkey species and Guinea pigs. The DNA and other research discussed in this article suggests that not only is this the case, but based on DNA, Red-foots and other SA tortoises and Hinge-backs are almost sisters! They seem to be more closely related to each other than to other African species.
Almost equally interesting, although maybe not to this thread, is that the Gophers and Burmese Tortoises are closely related as well, using the same research.
Forgive me my excitement- I just think this stuff is so cool!
I have always thought that the Redfoot's shell looked very similar to other species shells. That is very interesting.
cdmay said:
Yep, I know about that. But then haven't some of the DNA studies been discredited or invalidated? I seem to remember **** Bartlett telling me that some of the DNA studies, where numbers of N. A. salamanders had been split into new groups, had been upended.
I agree, it is interesting but it might also be true that down the road much of this recent DNA work will be meaningless.
But my main point is that redfoots won't change any because taxonomists have shifted their genus. I mean when redfoots got removed from Geochelone and placed into the genus Chelonoides years ago I went out and explained it all to my tortoises. They just sat there and gave me that same "Hey man, how about a mango?" look. They weren't impressed at all.
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Neither am I Carl...... probably discredited or invalidated because "they" [ whomever "they" is ] don't really know how to 'read'(?) DNA!
I'm still workin' on this 'trick'..
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