Western Hermann's vs. Eastern Hermann's Discussion thread

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Heavy

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RE: Western Hermann's vs. Eastern Hermann's

Thank you! I'm glad that my define of subspecies is correct (because I was wrong about it's sex) :)
 

LaraAngela

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RE: Western Hermann's vs. Eastern Hermann's

Very nice.:)
 

Tracy Gould

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RE: Western Hermann's vs. Eastern Hermann's

Hi is it true that only the male carries it tail to the side i have just got a 1yr old this week i know it hard to tell the sex when they are babies but Selby carrys his tail to the side so i am guessing that he is a male. Great info on here and love the pics by the way they helped me confirm he is a n Eastern his markings are loverly but i guesss they will fade with age.
 

Tracy Gould

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RE: Western Hermann's vs. Eastern Hermann's

HermanniChris said:
yours are 100% EASTERNS, testudo hermanni boettgeri. The westerns are a very sharp yellow/black, and are extremely rare. Hope this helps:D

Hi could u confirm Shelby is a Boettgeri too, i also think she is female.
Shelbys Plates.jpgShelbys Key mark.jpgTortoise.jpg
 
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ch12ag

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RE: Western Hermann's vs. Eastern Hermann's

definitely looks like a boettgeri to me, but im no expert, I have a t.h.hermanni. is the pectoral scute suture longer than the femoral scute suture?
 

Tracy Gould

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RE: Western Hermann's vs. Eastern Hermann's

ch12ag said:
definitely looks like a boettgeri to me, but im no expert, I have a t.h.hermanni. is the pectoral scute suture longer than the femoral scute suture?

Yer the Pectoral is long which i know points to Boettgeri her papers state this too, her shell is pretty colourful and she seems to have dark marks on her face so i thougth i would double check on here.
 

ch12ag

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RE: Western Hermann's vs. Eastern Hermann's

yea for sure i like to double check to. to me the markings appears defined but the bands appear 'blotchy' on the plastron and no definite keyhole. im gonna stick with boettgeri as the appearance of the carpace does not seem to have the same 'pattern'/'markings' as the hermanni alongwith less than 50% of the carpace filled with darker markings. but like i said i no expert im just reciting what i remember from chris's thread, sorry lol guess you've probably been through that i know i did lol thanks chris lol
 

Tracy Gould

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RE: Western Hermann's vs. Eastern Hermann's

ch12ag said:
yea for sure i like to double check to. to me the markings appears defined but the bands appear 'blotchy' on the plastron and no definite keyhole. im gonna stick with boettgeri as the appearance of the carpace does not seem to have the same 'pattern'/'markings' as the hermanni alongwith less than 50% of the carpace filled with darker markings. but like i said i no expert im just reciting what i remember from chris's thread, sorry lol guess you've probably been through that i know i did lol thanks chris lol

Yer i read his thread too really helpfull and yer Shelby fits better into the Boettgeri discription, i am hoping i got her sex right too as i thought i had picked a name that would be ok for both boy or Girl till i saw a girl on Facebook with this name, i may have to change it to Sheldon in a few years if i am wrong lol. Thanks for your help.
 

ch12ag

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RE: Western Hermann's vs. Eastern Hermann's

lol i kno what u mean i put an id of my tort bella for a t.h.hermanni confirmation which i got right but she turned out to be a he which was a shocker lol so i re-named him Henry :) not had him too long so i dint get too used to calling her/him bella :S lol no worries like i said just my opinion counts for nothing compared to what these guys know! :)
 

HermanniChris

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RE: Western Hermann's vs. Eastern Hermann's

Shellby is a T. hermanni boettgeri
 

Tracy Gould

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RE: Western Hermann's vs. Eastern Hermann's

ch12ag said:
lol i kno what u mean i put an id of my tort bella for a t.h.hermanni confirmation which i got right but she turned out to be a he which was a shocker lol so i re-named him Henry :) not had him too long so i dint get too used to calling her/him bella :S lol no worries like i said just my opinion counts for nothing compared to what these guys know! :)
I just look her name up and it is used for both Girls and Boys in different parts of the world so i think it will be ok i will not have a tortoise with an identity complex lol :D
 

tortoises101

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RE: Western Hermann's vs. Eastern Hermann's

This has been more than helpful. I've always pondered about the geographical variations and you helped me determine the difference. Again, thank you.
 

tcjules

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RE: Western Hermann's vs. Eastern Hermann's

wow that waz a great read thank u
 

kimby37

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RE: Western Hermann's vs. Eastern Hermann's

Not sure, think Mylo is an eastern. Was not told when i bought him/her. My daughter thinks its a him. Wish i had asked more questions when i got him. e-mailed where i got him from but they haven't replied.
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bettinge

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RE: Western Hermann's vs. Eastern Hermann's

kimby37 said:
Not sure, think Mylo is an eastern. Was not told when i bought him/her. My daughter thinks its a him. Wish i had asked more questions when i got him. e-mailed where i got him from but they haven't replied.

Can you post a photo of the carapace?
 

kimby37

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RE: Western Hermann's vs. Eastern Hermann's

bettinge said:
kimby37 said:
Not sure, think Mylo is an eastern. Was not told when i bought him/her. My daughter thinks its a him. Wish i had asked more questions when i got him. e-mailed where i got him from but they haven't replied.

Can you post a photo of the carapace?
 

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HermanniChris

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RE: Western Hermann's vs. Eastern Hermann's

Appears to be a T. h. Boettgeri.
 

kimby37

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RE: Western Hermann's vs. Eastern Hermann's

HermanniChris said:
Appears to be a T. h. Boettgeri.

Thank you. Some one had said they might think he is a Hercegovinensis. What is your opinion?
 

GBtortoises

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RE: Western Hermann's vs. Eastern Hermann's

There are multiple differences between Hermann's and Greeks: Coloration, patterns, scute structure, head shape, leg scale structure, body shape and more.

Yours is immediately indentifiable as a Greek and not a Hermann's because it lacks several of the Hermann's subpecies identifying characteristics but has all of the Greeks characteristics such as: it's coloration, carapace and plastron markings, head structure, lack of horn tip on the tail, presence "spurs" on the rear leg thighs and other features.

Hermann's have a hard tip on the end of their tail, much like a nail. Greeks do not. Greeks have a conical shaped scale on their rear thighs between the tail a middle leg area. This is what people refer to as a spur giving the tortoise one of it's common names "Spur-Thighed". Hermann's are a color combination of black and yellow, occassionally showing some light brown or greenish olive coloration. Greeks can vary greatly depending upon subspecies and geographic location but are generally much more subdued in coloration than Hermann's, usually with less contrasting coloration.
 
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