Random Tortoises...

[gummybearpoop]

My Sri Lankan Stars (prod. by Bob Blome)

Derby chompin on a snail

Derby hitchin a ride on Kobayashi (prod. by Terry Kilgore)

Kobayashi (prod. by Terry Kilgore)

Pesci (prod. by Terry Kilgore)

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Over 1,000 lbs. of Tortoise!

 

[Isa]

Nice pics
The torts look great.
Over 1,000 pounds, wow those are huge and beautiful tortoises

 

[gummybearpoop]

Nice pics
The torts look great.
Over 1,000 pounds, wow those are huge and beautiful tortoises

One of the Aldabras weighs 650 + lbs. and the other one weighs 450 + lbs.

Thanks for the comment

 

[spikethebest]

WOW VERY NICE PICS!!!

i think a few of those pictures are worthy to be entered into our calendar contest!!

i sure hope my galapagos gets that big!!

 

[gummybearpoop]

WOW VERY NICE PICS!!!

i think a few of those pictures are worthy to be entered into our calendar contest!!

i sure hope my galapagos gets that big!!

Thanks. The Aldabras pics were taken at a zoo and I don't think I could publish pictures from zoo animals. I'm not sure

 

[spikethebest]

oh cool. which zoo was that at?

 

[gummybearpoop]

oh cool. which zoo was that at?

Phoenix Zoo.

Wow, you own a Galap?

One day, I will load up my pics of Galaps and Aldabras from zoos I have been to around the states and from Australia.

How old is your Galap?

 

[spikethebest]

yea i do. she is about 7 years old. yea load as many galap and aldab pictures as possible, and label which one which for people. they can look so similar sometimes, especially if the aldab is missing the nuchal scute.

you can see pictures of my galap on one this thread...

http://tortoiseforum.org/thread-3134-page-1.html

 

[gummybearpoop]

very very nice!

galapagos tortoises are full of personality

I used to read books and read that Galapagos are personable, while Aldabras are shy and "boring".

I've had the opportunity to work with 7 Galapagos and 4 Aldabras.

The Aldabras are a little more on the shy side and some "hiss". The 2 males sometimes are "friendly", but the females are very nervous in the presence of humans.

The Galaps come up to you and follow you around. They just seem more fun.

How long have you had your Galapagos Tortoise for?

 

[RachelleC]

Wow what great pictures. thanks for sharing.

 

[Isa]

I've had the opportunity to work with 7 Galapagos and 4 Aldabras.

Are you working in a zoo?

 

[spikethebest]

The Aldabras are a little more on the shy side and some "hiss". The 2 males sometimes are "friendly", but the females are very nervous in the presence of humans.

The Galaps come up to you and follow you around. They just seem more fun.

How long have you had your Galapagos Tortoise for?

well that quite interesting. because i have only had my galap for just a couple months, and she is very shy, and doesnt walk around when i am out there. she wont eat when i watch her nearby. she doesnt like it when i pet her, or scratch her neck (i was told galaps are suppose to like that). honestly, i have been told she is a galap by many people, but i am still not 100%. you are the only person to identify different personality traits, mine has the personality of an aldab 100%.

can you tell if mine is a galap or not?

thanks

 

[gummybearpoop]

I've had the opportunity to work with 7 Galapagos and 4 Aldabras.

Are you working in a zoo?

I volunteer

 

[Isa]

I've had the opportunity to work with 7 Galapagos and 4 Aldabras.

Are you working in a zoo?

I volunteer

Very nice, it must be very interesting.

 

[gummybearpoop]

[/quote]



"can you tell if mine is a galap or not?"


Spike, these are behavioral generalizations. I have read that Galaps are generally more outgoing and Aldabras tend to be more reserved. There are nervous Galaps and outgoing Aldabras. The Aldabra males I work with LOVE being scratched on the neck.

"The easiest way to differentiate an Aldabra tortoise from a Galápagos tortoise is the presence of a nuchal scute in Aldabra tortoises, a short section of shell that appears to be an indention by the nape of the neck." -Dallas Zoo

Here's some pics of what the nuchal scute looks like:

http://www.tigerhomes.org/animal/nuchal-scute.cfm


attachments are photos from www.tigerhomes.org

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I've had the opportunity to work with 7 Galapagos and 4 Aldabras.

Are you working in a zoo?

I volunteer

Very nice, it must be very interesting.

Isa, it is very interesting. It gives me an opportunity to work with a tortoise that I normally wouldn't have the chance to work with. Plus, I don't have to pay for the food or space for them!

These are some very amazing creatures. They are so different than other reptiles. They seem so magestic especially when you know they are over 125+ years old. These are tortoises that only few people may be able to maintain.

I've also been lucky to see them around the states as well as the Australian Zoo.

 

[spikethebest]

hi gummybearpoop. i know about this scute, however i have seen inperson aldabras that DONT have it!

i was told that no galaps have it, but MOST aldabs do. so that can NOT be the only determining factor.

are you able to show the pictures to the people working at that zoo to confirm if mine is a galap or not?

also, what do they feed the galaps at the zoo?

 

[gummybearpoop]

I am pretty sure your tortoise is a galapagos just by looking at the pictures, but I cannot tell which subspecies. You will have to get DNA testing, which may be expensive.

How do you know there are aldabras without that scute? Sometimes some of the zoos will misname an animal. I have seen many misnamed reptiles in the zoos and on national geographic. I am not saying it is impossible for an aldabra to be missing that scute, but it is more likely that a zoo has misnamed their giant tortoise.

Your tortoise is missing the nuchal scute and has more of a "Galapagos" face(not always the best way to differentiate the two), the rounded snout - not "pointed" snout like the Aldabra.

Who did you purchase the animal from? Did they give you any background information?

 

[spikethebest]

when i went to the anaheim convention a month or so ago, there was a guy selling what was labeled as two aldabra tortoises for $8,000 each. there might be pictures of them on this site. and the guy was certain that they were both aldabras. however, one of them didnt have the nuchal scute. I pointed that out to the guy, and he said not all aldabs have them.

i got the galap from a guy in san diego. he had no paperwork, no information, and really no idea how to take care of her, hence i believe she should be bigger than she is now. he fed her cabbage and watermelon. her poop was always runny, and was runny for the first couple weeks while i had her. but once she started eating good food, the poop hardened up, and has stayed that way. he claims he got it from a pet store in san diego. i contacted the owner of that pet store, and they said they got it from a church group that was breeding galaps in florida in 2001. the owner of the pet store's father has a CBW permit, and thats how they said it got over here.

 

[Yvonne G]

How do you know there are aldabras without that scute? Sometimes some of the zoos will misname an animal. I have seen many misnamed reptiles in the zoos and on national geographic. I am not saying it is impossible for an aldabra to be missing that scute, but it is more likely that a zoo has misnamed their giant tortoise.

I have two Aldabran tortoises that were hatched in 2008. They ARE both Aldabrans, and one has the nuchal scute, but the other does not.

Yvonne

 

[gummybearpoop]

How do you know there are aldabras without that scute? Sometimes some of the zoos will misname an animal. I have seen many misnamed reptiles in the zoos and on national geographic. I am not saying it is impossible for an aldabra to be missing that scute, but it is more likely that a zoo has misnamed their giant tortoise.

I have two Aldabran tortoises that were hatched in 2008. They ARE both Aldabrans, and one has the nuchal scute, but the other does not.

Yvonne

Thanks Yvonne. I wonder how common this is.

It is important to know who you got your tortoises from and all of their history. Tortoises live a long time and sometimes get new owners all the time, so things get mixed up a lot.

Does anyone know if crossbreeding has been done? There is already enough controversy with the Galapagos Tortoise Subspecies debate.