I realize that T. hermanni has a spurred tail, and T. graeca has spurred thighs, but I find it difficult to tell the difference between these two species when I can't see their rear ends. How can I distinguish them from the front or the side?
GeoTerraTestudo said:I realize that T. hermanni has a spurred tail, and T. graeca has spurred thighs, but I find it difficult to tell the difference between these two species when I can't see their rear ends. How can I distinguish them from the front or the side?
GBtortoises said:Not true about the supercaudal split or lack of. Not all Hermann's have a split supercaudal and many do have single supercaudal scutes. Not all "Greeks" have a single one although split supercaudal scutes are not as common among "Greeks" as they are with the Hermann's subspecies. The photo below shows a pair of Eastern Hermann's. The lower one is the male with a split supercaudal, the upper tortoise is the female without a single supercaudal.
GBtortoises said:...The head features of Hermann's and Greeks are also usually quite different. Ibera usually have large, bulbulous heads with large round eyes. Other Greeks often have longer, more uniformly slender shaped heads with more narrow eyes. Head shape among Hermann's varies somewhat between subspecies and to some degree, among populations. Generally speaking Hermann's have a somewhat slender nose area that is very blunt. the head often gets very wide just behind eyes at the ears. Head scales are also a determining factor, especially among the different Greeks.
GBtortoises said:Terry-It's true that many of the more northern Eastern Hermann's races often have only four claws on their front feet. Primarily those originating from Romania and Bulgaria. I don't think I have any with four claws anymore. Years ago I had two very large females (both over 9") that probably originated from Romania. The northern Hermann's races also tend to be much larger in overall size than others.
The problem with using this trait as an identifier in captivity, especially with Hermann's is that no one really knows the origin of their animals now and so many different Eastern Hermanns from different geographical regions have been interbred with each other. So while a Hermann's might have 4 claws on the front feet, it might only grow to 6 or 7" as an adult!