- Joined
- Jul 18, 2008
- Messages
- 1,109
We have been doing a bit of reading about Star tortoises. There does seem to be some controversy about differences in Indian and Sri Lankan stars. Jerry Fife, in his book Star Tortoises, reports that genetic testing has been done and no differences have been identified. It appears that locale is the only difference. Could it be then, that the size difference is merely one of environmental conditions? Or could it be that they have a dominant gene affecting growth? (similar to humans in that some grow over 6ft and others do not) If there is no genetic difference, how does one really know if the tortoise is Indian or Sri Lankan, unless the specific locale of origin is not known? Also, if there is no genetic difference, would there be any issues with breeding the two, other than simply size. If the male is big enough to get the job done, could breeding happen? What have others experienced with regards to this?