Let's Play "Guess The Tortoise"!!

[Yvonne G]

First of all, I apologize for the blurry pictures. I have a heck of a time getting clear pictures on close up.

So, note the front leg scales before you make your guess. The darker baby is a couple weeks older than the brand new lighter colored baby.

 

[Yvonne G]

In all fairness to you, I KNOW what the darker baby is, but am unsure of the lighter baby.

New baby is round, darker baby is more square shaped.

 

[Yvonne G]

I'll dry them off and turn them over. . .

 

[drew54]

Egyptian and elongated?

 

[Yvonne G]

Yeah, I wish! Nope.

 

[Yvonne G]

Another clue: I found the darker one in my tortoise yard, but the lighter one was found in town in someone's back yard and there are no neighbors with tortoises.

 

[no one]

The lighter one is a Gopher hatchling?

 

[Kapidolo Farms]

A photograph clue. Less than 10% of the image is tortoise, hold the camera phone closer, use zoom, better lighting, and and the quality of guesses will increase quite a bit. Just saying...

 

[KarenSoCal]

Both desert?

 

[Yvonne G]

A photograph clue. Less than 10% of the image is tortoise, hold the camera phone closer, use zoom, better lighting, and and the quality of guesses will increase quite a bit. Just saying...

It IS good lighting, plus the camera used the 'flash.' I just can't get clear pictures when I'm doing close-up. Same thing here with zoom and flash and closer:



This may not be the exact same darker baby as I have 4 to choose from.

Another clue - no nuchal scute on lighter baby, but the darker one has nuchal scute.

 

[Yvonne G]

The lighter one is a Gopher hatchling?

Nope!

 

[Yvonne G]

Both desert?

Partially correct!

 

[KarenSoCal]

Partially correct!

Light one CDT, dark one Texas desert?

 

[Yvonne G]

Light one CDT, dark one Texas desert?

No. I'll give one more clue - the darker one is a Gopherus agassizii. So you win half the prize, even though you guessed the wrong one.

 

[Yvonne G]

I didn't notice the missing front leg spurs until looking at this last picture. Looks like maybe a bird dropped the tortoise where it was found, and picked at his legs

 

[KarenSoCal]

So the lighter one is a sulcata?

 

[Toddrickfl1]

The lighter one sure looks like a Sulcata to me

 

[Markw84]

A sulcata. But you never show the back and the defining butterfly wing the supracaudal makes with a hatchling sulcata. Pretty easy to tell the butt of a baby sulcata!

 

[wellington]

So sulcata and gopher?
Wish a bird would drop a baby in my yard. Lol

 

[Yvonne G]

Karen got them both! I was unsure if it was a sulcata, but figured it was because of the prominent front leg spurs. I don't see what Mark says. I'll have to look at the back end to see if I can see the 'butterfly wing.'