I keep reading conflicting info on the difference between a male and female tortoise. I find that the males have a more u shaped anal scutes and female more of a v shape. And then vise versa. I know males have larger tails and that's as far as I understand. Can someone clear this up for me. Thanks!
Confused about sexing
- Thread starter drew54
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SweetGreekTorts
Well-Known Member
It depends on the species. Males do have larger tails, are usually smaller than the females, and can have a concave plastron (which helps them with mounting the female).
Females have flat plastrons, and the more narrow "V" shape at the rear end of their plastron assists with egg laying (sliding into the hole).
Females have flat plastrons, and the more narrow "V" shape at the rear end of their plastron assists with egg laying (sliding into the hole).
So, what's the difference between different species?
SweetGreekTorts
Well-Known Member
In some species, like the Russian, the males do not develop a noticeable concave plastron. Also some females do not develop a distinct narrow "V" on the underside of their plastron. The Sulcatas and I think the Leopards have them, while the Greeks, Russians, and Hermann's do not.
I also think some species have males and females that are nearly the same size when fully grown. The Egyptians, Greeks, Russians, and Hermann's certainly have females growing larger than males.
That's very interesting. So, for the Greeks, Russians, and Hermanns if they don't show the same characteristics as shown in the sulcata and leopards could this be due to their smaller size? And are these differences only in the testudo family? Or do these differences show up due to the different climates of each species?
In all species females get the rounded "U" shaped anal scutes. This corresponds to the round egg that has to pass through that area. Males get the wide "V" which gives them more room to maneuver that big tail and their sex organs. Anal scute shape development tend to happen later in life when the animals are more mature, and is generally not a great indicator on animals that are still juveniles or just barely reaching maturity.
Same with plastron concavity. That tends to develop and become obvious as the males mature.
Tail size is the best early indicator, and it really helps to have two or more animals of similar size to compare and contrast.
Since you have a sulcata, here are some pics to illustrate these points:
Female:
Male:
Juvenile:
Same with plastron concavity. That tends to develop and become obvious as the males mature.
Tail size is the best early indicator, and it really helps to have two or more animals of similar size to compare and contrast.
Since you have a sulcata, here are some pics to illustrate these points:
Female:
Male:
Juvenile:
That helps a lot! I think I can understand the sexting threads a lot better now. Thank you. I noticed the female has 5 spurs 3 and 2 and the male looks to have 2 and 1. Does that mean anything in general or is that just unique to each tortoise?
But don't rely on size. My 10.5" Greek was all male - just a large one
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Forgot to attach the pic of Joe who has the scoop, the long tail to the side and the V
I think all these examples are great and definitely helps my understanding a lot more. I was getting confused reading the sexting threads because some had what I thought to be the wide v shape and to be male were stated as female and vise versa. I agree @Tom that the tail size is very noticeable. I think I'll keep reading and when I have my tortoise farm I'll have lots of practice then lol
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