How to recognize star tortoise

[tarta4ever]

Hi guys I’m new to this species, but I would have some clarification, is there a guide to recognize the different subspecies?(south India, nord India and Sri Lanka?

 

[Ink]

@Tom should be able to help you. Can you post pictures of the tortoise?

 

[Tom]

Hi guys I’m new to this species, but I would have some clarification, is there a guide to recognize the different subspecies?(south India, nord India and Sri Lanka?

As far as I am aware, there are no recognized subspecies for Geochelone elegans.

North and South Indians are essentially the same, and Sri Lankans get bigger.

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

Yeah, there are just regional variations in coloring and morphology: https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Geochelone_elegans/

Just curious, what got you interested in the subspecies question? I read a bit on this when I was doing a deep dive into the subspecies research done on Russian tortoises back in early 2010s. I was thinking whether this research would help me find native plants etc. better, but the research on Russians I was able to find didn't really lead to a clear cut conclusion, some say there are 3 subspecies, some say 5, some say none... The subspecies question is really more curiosity for me, not a clear cut fact. Even though some scientists recognize subspecies, it really doesn't affect the day to day life of a pet keeper.