What is the difference visually between a galapagos and an aldabra? I know the size difference that the galapagos is bigger, but what is another thing that helps tell the difference?
What's the difference?
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It has to do with eye/nostril placement. On the aldab, the eyes are above and behind the nostrils. On the Galops, the eyes are behind, but in line with the nostrils. Most Aldabs have a nuchal scute while all galaps don't.
galop notice the eyes on the same line as the nostrils:
Aldab nostrils below eyes:
galop notice the eyes on the same line as the nostrils:
Aldab nostrils below eyes:
emysemys said:It has to do with eye/nostril placement. On the aldab, the eyes are above and behind the nostrils. On the Galops, the eyes are behind, but in line with the nostrils. Most Aldabs have a nuchal scute while all galaps don't.
galop notice the eyes on the same line as the nostrils:
Aldab nostrils below eyes:
Outstanding emysemys, very nice photo's.
I enjoy learning new stuff on this forum..Yvonne thats cool, I didn't know the eye's can tell so much...
emysemys said:It has to do with eye/nostril placement. On the aldab, the eyes are above and behind the nostrils. On the Galops, the eyes are behind, but in line with the nostrils. Most Aldabs have a nuchal scute while all galaps don't.
galop notice the eyes on the same line as the nostrils:
Aldab nostrils below eyes:
Cool, ty so much emysemys
I have always got stumped on those two for some reason. That helps a lot!
Those are the sweetest faces!
Ok, I have another one for you since you helped me so much with my first question
What is the visual difference between the Russian and Greek tortoise? I go into a pet store and see what I think looks like a Russian and it turns out is a Greek If there is anyway to point out the difference in the two that would be great!
Please help...... again
What is the visual difference between the Russian and Greek tortoise? I go into a pet store and see what I think looks like a Russian and it turns out is a Greek
If there is anyway to point out the difference in the two that would be great! Please help...... again
I'm not good with the Mediterranean tortoises. You'll have to get this answer from someone else, sorry. I am able to I.D. them for myself, but I'm not able to describe the differences for anyone else. To me Russian tortoises always look a little beat up, rougher than a Greek. Young Greeks are shiny and pretty while Russians look rough and beat up. Not much for you to go by, huh...sorry.
My husband and I recently went to the National Zoo in DC. They have a few Adab's there. I could not believe how big they were!!!!! I mean wow!!!!! They had one there that was quite large, and another that looked, well, a bit like a volks wagon! We couldn't believe the size. I look at my baby redfoot Tonka and think "Boy am I glad you won't get that big!" lol. Although.....having a tort I could ride would be pretty cool!
I think greeks are usually lighter in color but some are not.
I always look for a nuchal scute on the Aldabra, it's missing on a Galapagos.
-Matt
-Matt
matt41gb said:
Not all aldabrans have one though. Of my two boys, one has a nuchal scute and the other one doesn't.
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Very interesting! Learning the difference between the similar species/subspecies has become a goal of mine. I like to be that person that knows random facts about random things. Interested in hearing about the greeks/russians.
drgnfly2265 said:Ok, I have another one for you since you helped me so much with my first question
What is the visual difference between the Russian and Greek tortoise? I go into a pet store and see what I think looks like a Russian and it turns out is a Greek
Please help...... again
All of the Meds look very similar as babies, but as adults, they're easier to tell apart...Russians tend to be very round, when viewed from above, and flatter, when viewd from the side, and don't get as large as Greeks, Hermann's, and, especially, Marginateds, but will get a bit larger than Egyptians:
Greeks vary in color a lot:
and tend to be more or less oval-shaped, as do Marginateds and Harmenn's tortoises.
Marginateds look like WWII German helmets and are the largest of the Meds:
Hermann's look kinda similar to some Greeks:
but can be easily distinguished by the fact that Greeks have one or, occasionally, two spurs on the back of their thighs, while the Hermann's tortoise has a spur on the end of it's tail.
Finally, the Egyptian tortoise can vary somewhat in coloring, but is the smallest of the Meds:
Hope this helps a little.
emysemys said:
Interesting! Thanks for clearing that up for me.
-Matt
TonkaLuv said:
Scutes are the rings that make up the tortoise's shell. The nuchal scute is the tiny ring that sits just above the neck of some turtle and tortoise species. Aldabras usually have one.
-Matt
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