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It's not ....an albino.@N2TORTS. Come on Jeff, put our minds at rest.Whats the crack with this tort. I'm thinking it's not albino.
Caramel albino redfoot
- Thread starter portsmouthtortoises
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It's not ....an albino.
Would you say that it is Anerythristic or Xanthic?
There is a chance that it could be a hybrid with a star tortoise... I'll post a picture of the plastron later and you will see what I mean.
I can't believe this picture even exists. I'm speechless.Ok Jock .....here is one for ya ...
Now, that's a hybrid I want!Ok Jock .....here is one for ya ...
but seriously back to the albino issue, isn't it that albinism means zero pigment of any kind? None in skin, none in eyes?
It depends if it is T+ or T- albino whether the eyes are black or red but albinism is a lack of pigment.Now, that's a hybrid I want!
This tortoise was originally bought as a caramel or lavender albino but obviously as it has grown it has become apparent that it's not.
Well she's very cute!!!!
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A very neat tort indeed….and just my .2 cents
The eyes are always the true indicator. If an animal has normal-colored eyes, it's not albino, no matter how white the rest of it is. A mixture of the phenotype with the albinistic type will of course give rise to partial-colored animals. Just some terms to remember.
Axanthic: lacking [xanthophores] (which produce yellow pigment), usually leading to a dark individual
Leucistic: Having a reduced amount of melanin or lacking [melanin] in particular body parts
Amelanistic: Lacking [melanophores], which produce dark brown/black pigment, often leading to very pale individuals (which may still have other colors present).
Chromatophore: Pigment-containing cell of the skin. There are several different kinds of chromophores, each containing different types of pigment(s). These include melanophores (containing melanin, a brown-black pigment), iridophores (containing crystals that impart a shiny iridescence), and xanthophores (containing carotenoids and pteridines, yellow and reddish pigments).
Some other unique RF's ....NOT albinos~
Are we sure this isn't a hybrid (like X radiata, for example) ?
Agree with N2TORTS, it is not an albino. As for what it is, I'm at a loss.
Agree with N2TORTS, it is not an albino. As for what it is, I'm at a loss.
I personally think either redfoot x Indian star or redfoot x Burmese star.
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Is that the actual plastron? If so, I'm in total agreement...X star tortoise. Either Indian or Burmese. The scalation of the forelimbs and plastron pattern seals it for me.
Good call Sulley!
One further thought...being that this is a hybrid involving one of the star tortoises, the pyramiding isn't that bad. There is a certain amount of natural pyramiding that occurs with star tortoises and is just the way they're shaped.
Given the person who produced this, star x RF makes sense and the photos seem to complement that.
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Yeah the breeder keeps both. It would likely be a Carbonaria mixed with a Sri Lankan Star if it is indeed a hybrid as many of us suspect.
This is interesting. The siblings from the same clutch are all normal redfoots.
Something I am wondering about. Do tortoises have to have UV light (artificial or direct sunlight) to thrive and properly digest their food, like lizards? Because if so, how do the albinos deal with this?
Good question Tammy. I to would like to know this answer. Maybe in captivity supplements are used more and maybe in the wild they just do not survive, if they stand out like a sore thumb I would imagine predators are a higher threat.
Just wanted to bump this question really.
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Great question….
Just in short without much detail and just tid-bits of info…. The eyes of an albino animal appear red because the color of the red blood cells in the retina can be seen through the iris, which has no pigment to obscure this.
Now the lighting….First we must understand the types of UV light and the way a reptile/tortoise consumes it. (short version)
UVA is a wave length of light that is most responsible for “vision”. This type of wave length which is around 300-400nm allows your tortoise to detect movements, recognize other species and their own, but also responsible for activity levels ex: foraging, food detection, social behavior, reproduction ect….We (humans) have 3 types of color receptors- red, blue, green. Reptiles/tortoises have a fourth that we can’t see in UVA but they use to thrive in everyday life as explained above. Plain and simple …Lack of UVA light impairs their ability to interact with their environment.
UVB is necessary to maintain proper Vitamin D3 and calcium levels in the reptile's system. When a reptile is exposed to UVB light, the UVB light regulates the synthesis of Vitamin D3. It is Vitamin D3 that allows reptiles to properly absorb and metabolize calcium….. In fact, UVB light is the primary source of D3 for many reptiles. Reptiles that do not get enough UVB light do not make enough Vitamin D3. This lack of calcium can lead to problems in tortoises such as MBD- metabolic bone disease.
With an albino/hypo animal in the wild …the lack of protective camouflage would make them an easier target for predators, thus resulting in a lesser survival rate and reproduction.
I knew that cats and dogs can have different fathered babies in the same clutch/litter, but I didn't know this was also true of tortoises. Interesting indeed.
