Leopard tortoise subspecies?

[NickTheTurtleMan]

which are the subspecies of leopard tortoises?

 

[Tom]

which are the subspecies of leopard tortoises?

Back around 2010, "the scientific community" decided that there would be no subspecific designation for the leopard tortoise. Its all one species, and they changed the species name too. Stigmochelys pardalis. Further, within that one species and its huge range, they have identified 11 "clades" of geographically distinct, morphologically identifiable forms.

For practical purposes here in the US, members of several of these clades were introduced during the time when they were still importing leopard tortoises into this country. Most all of these have been mixed and bred together for years. There is one particular type that we used to call Gpp. I now refer to that type as "South African Leopards". There is one man who started in 1990 with 10 fresh South African imports from one of the aforementioned 11 clades and he's kept them "pure" since that time. My adults were hatchlings that I bought directly from this man at his home in 2010. Of all the leopards out there in the US that are not of these particular SA leopard bloodlines, they are likely a mix of some or all the different clades that were imported so many years ago, with a chance that you could find an old one that is not a mix if you knew what to look for. At this time, there is really no way to know. For practical purses then, we have two types here in the US. The South African variety, and the "regular" leopards. In my experience these are two very different tortoise types.

 

[NickTheTurtleMan]

thank for the informations Tom