Mr.Lee
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My friend left it to me. It seems not like a normal leopard tortoise. Can you tell me the subspecies? My friend doesn't know either.
Can you tell the subspecies?
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Mr.Lee
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something is wrong with my pics.
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Where are you? Where did this tortoise come from?
It does not show the characteristics typical of the South African variety that we have here in the US. The carapace markings are unusual for what we typically see here too.
It does not show the characteristics typical of the South African variety that we have here in the US. The carapace markings are unusual for what we typically see here too.
@Mr.Lee
I would say pardalis babcocki because the other subspecies pardalis pardalis is more expensive and less common and most of the time has 2 dots on some of there scutes and here we can see that there is 1 dot but it's hard to see. Also the pardalis pardalis is less domed than the pardalis babcocki which in this case this leopard tortoise is domed. The pardalis pardalis is also generally darker in colour then the pardalis babcocki. So my conclusion is that the subspecies of this tortoise is pardalis babcocki.
I would say pardalis babcocki because the other subspecies pardalis pardalis is more expensive and less common and most of the time has 2 dots on some of there scutes and here we can see that there is 1 dot but it's hard to see. Also the pardalis pardalis is less domed than the pardalis babcocki which in this case this leopard tortoise is domed. The pardalis pardalis is also generally darker in colour then the pardalis babcocki. So my conclusion is that the subspecies of this tortoise is pardalis babcocki.
Like said earlier, because of the markings and darker skin, I'd bet Babcocki also. Because finding a true PP is so difficult theses days, most have some babcocki in their gene pool now. Nothing wrong with it, still get big and friendly. 
Mr.Lee
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Thanks for your reply. I'm not in the US. This leopard tortoise may come from Kenya, because most pardalis babcockis from Tanzania
I have seen in my country have dots on plastrons. By the way, if the leopard tortoises come from Kenya belong to the 'giant'?
No. Kenyans are just regular size. There are "giants" to the north in Ethiopia and giants to the south in South Africa, but most of the others are "normal" size.
The last study I saw showed 11 geographically distinct "clades" and no subspecies.
Yours does not look like one of the ones we typically see over here in the U.S.A.
Pretty neat for us to see a new and unfamiliar type. Thanks for the pics. May we see more?
Mr.Lee
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Thanks for your reply. As I replied above this leopard tortoise is pardalis babcocki indeed. But in my country pardalis babcocki with stripes on plastron is very common. This one is very clean. If leopard tortoises come from Kenya belong to the 'giant'?
Kenyan leopards aren't as large as specimens from South Africa, Somalia, or Ethiopia, but a lot of the specimens from Kenya get to be a really good size at about 16" for an adult female. Do you have any pictures of the adults that produced yours?
How do you know this? Who has known pure Kenyans in this country?
I'll have to dig up some more substantial support, but that information was obtained from some case studies I had come across over they years. I have only heard of a few that actually made it to the US. Kelly had a couple from Kenya at one point, though I don't recall how large they were. @tortadise can you fill us in with some information on the ones you had?
Of the 11 clades I've only seen two types from SA, pics of Ethiopians, and the three types that RL has, which I can't accurately remember the localities now...
I don't know that I've ever seen pure Kenyans, and if I have, I didn't know it.
I'd love to see any pics or text about location specific leopards.
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/kenyan-babcocki-leopards.62408/#post-591799
Here's the thread he did on them a couple years ago.
I suppose there is no way to be 100% certain, but given what I know of Kelly I think this is about as close to 100% as we could ever hope for.
Here's the thread he did on them a couple years ago.
I suppose there is no way to be 100% certain, but given what I know of Kelly I think this is about as close to 100% as we could ever hope for.
I too have seen this to be true. Northern regions of Kenya/Uganda tend to have some large leopards. I've been looking @Tom for the past 30 minutes for where I saw it, it was today I saw some in situ Kenyans a male was following a female accross a road. They were quite large. But yes your correct. They're all stigmochelys pardalis even stigmochelys pardalis babcocki isn't correct. Some literature has been known to label the Somalian stigmochelys pardalis Somaliensis but that when they were doing the phylogenetic testing. So I still classify them lll as one.
Stab to the heart @Neal man such a sad ending to that adventure. Wish they were still around. Such beautiful animals. She was a quite large Kenyan too.
