WC FL Elongated - just a moment ago...

HLogic

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I went out to prep the enclosures for returning the kids that have been cooped up for the last couple of days inside and looky what I found! Incubated naturally.

http://www.hlogic.net/images/DSC_0403_small.jpg
http://www.hlogic.net/images/DSC_0406_small.jpg

From the looks of it, it appears to have hatched 2 - 3 days ago which means it spent the night outside in 32 F temps! It was eating while I was taking these pics. Unfortunately, I found an egg, likely a nest mate, that had been raccooned...
 

bouaboua

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How lucky that is. Both for you and the hatchlings.

They are very cute too...
 

HLogic

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I have found 3 or 4 in their enclosure over the past few years. Always a treat!
 

Yvonne G

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Oh lordy! And all the cold weather you've been experiencing the last couple weeks! A very hardy baby, indeed!!
 

wellington

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Wow, I sure wouldn't think it could have survived that cold of temps being so little. That is really cool, congrats.
 

allegraf

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Always fun when you find the 'feral' ones. He is adorable too! Generally the found hatchling for my cherries are duller and seem smaller than those incubated inside.
 

leigti

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I guess you're letting natural selection work out. That is probably one tough little baby. I would probably be out there digging like crazy looking for any others.
 

Turtlepete

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That's amazing. I've found naturally incubated red foots before. Impressive it endured those kind of temperatures unscathed. It really says something for just how "fragile" these young tortoises really are..
 

SarahChelonoidis

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Apologies for bumping an old thread, but those pictures made me curious. Do I. elongata not always have nuchal scutes? I thought the lack of a nuchal scute was indicative of I. forstenii.
 

Turtlepete

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Apologies for bumping an old thread, but those pictures made me curious. Do I. elongata not always have nuchal scutes? I thought the lack of a nuchal scute was indicative of I. forstenii.

Cant answer this question as it applies to I. elongata, but the absence of it is no indication of the tortoise being I. forstenii. As far as I understand, there are two distinct populations on Sulawesi, one of which with a nuchal scute and one without. So, I. forstenii may often have the nuchal scute (mine do). A better way to identify species is other physical characteristics and plastral markings.
 

voodoochild

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Do you have any updated pics on your hatchling? It was a beautiful animal. It didn't have any black spots. Will it stay gold like that until adulthood? I really like the "gold" or reduced elongateds.
 
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