Alex and the Redfoot
Well-Known Member
I wonder if @cooky_luvs or @turtlesteve can add something to your question (https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/p...-and-marginal-scutes-only.215523/post-2123600)
Possible pyramiding between costal and marginal scutes only?
- Thread starter TheWaveCarver
- Start date
I actually have a cherry head that has a very similar shape, I didn’t raise her, so I can’t really speak to what may have been the cause. Someone commented on it once and I may have come off defensive to them but in my mind I was like she’s so perfect otherwise it’s not something I’m worried about lol. But I can see the concern more when you’ve actually raised this guy and are seeing something come up, but I think you’ve done an excellent job overall!
I think it’s interesting that mine is also a cherry head and shows similar. None of the cherry heads I have raised myself nor any of my others I acquired at older ages have similar though. It could very well be a geographical thing but I don’t think I’ve seen it too often. Brazilian cherryheads for all their captive popularity are one of the least studied in the wild so it’s hard to say.
Alex brought up an excellent point about abrasion. They only get to be so perfectly smooth in the wild because of all of the intense abrasion that happens to their carapace, that’s how they get that bowling ball smooth look. In captivity with our best efforts we can raise them exceptionally smooth, but replicating that abrasion is really tough to accomplish. Even when we get them to grow smooth, they lack that polished look.
They don’t all end up perfect in the wild though, sometimes they have funky wonky shells. If you look on iNaturalist, you can look at lots of natural examples documented in the wild. Of course the really bad examples are the result of people keeping them captive for a while and then releasing. But there’s quite a number that aren’t that perfect bowling ball smooth we typically associate with the wild. They may have had a rough season during growth, fought sickness, etc.
I hope some more people comment that have tortoises that display similar. I’d be very interested too find out if it’s a more so a cherryhead thing.
I think it’s interesting that mine is also a cherry head and shows similar. None of the cherry heads I have raised myself nor any of my others I acquired at older ages have similar though. It could very well be a geographical thing but I don’t think I’ve seen it too often. Brazilian cherryheads for all their captive popularity are one of the least studied in the wild so it’s hard to say.
Alex brought up an excellent point about abrasion. They only get to be so perfectly smooth in the wild because of all of the intense abrasion that happens to their carapace, that’s how they get that bowling ball smooth look. In captivity with our best efforts we can raise them exceptionally smooth, but replicating that abrasion is really tough to accomplish. Even when we get them to grow smooth, they lack that polished look.
They don’t all end up perfect in the wild though, sometimes they have funky wonky shells. If you look on iNaturalist, you can look at lots of natural examples documented in the wild. Of course the really bad examples are the result of people keeping them captive for a while and then releasing. But there’s quite a number that aren’t that perfect bowling ball smooth we typically associate with the wild. They may have had a rough season during growth, fought sickness, etc.
I hope some more people comment that have tortoises that display similar. I’d be very interested too find out if it’s a more so a cherryhead thing.
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Here’s just a quick example I grabbed from iNaturalist. This is a cherry head that you can see would otherwise be pyramided somewhat if not for all of the intense abrasion to the carapace. Give it a few more decades of wear and tear and he’ll likely look closer to the second example.
