Well, looks like all of them like to have their back legs like that in the very warm water. Stump's coloration is so similar to this one as well. So many others are lighter in color.
I think it depends on how old the top layer of their shell is, it will all lighten over time. The new growth lines are always dark, and i never see older ones with dark color. It can be related with humidity, we keeping them on this forum really humid, so the new growth lines stays fresh and "alive" for much longer times, but i think over time they will dry out and lose the dark color.
Also the first growth ring is already whiteish on him, he was kept dry at the breeder, i think its dried out and lost its dark color.
On the thread: how fast can a sulcata grow, you can see on the profile pic starting that sulcata to losing his dark tone.
What do you think?
This is more what I see and is so different from our darker sulcatas. The growth rings have lightened progressively even though he is young. I read that the darker ones come from where it is cooler (because their darker shells absorb more light to make heat like a dark car interior in the summer) and the lighter ones come from where it is very hot and the lighter shell helps keep them cooler.
