Male or Female?

[BabyJack]

 

[N2TORTS]

Looking Female ...from this end.

 

[BabyJack]

Thanks!

 

[TammyJ]

What are the things to look for to differentiate male from female, especially in juveniles and babies?

 

[N2TORTS]

What are the things to look for to differentiate male from female, especially in juveniles and babies?

That is sort of a two part question. First it is very hard to accurately identify sex's in babies as well as juveniles. Most specimens' can be more accurately named when the tortoise of the redfoot species is around 6"+. Here is a very good thread by one of our members (Allegra) describing some of the attributes to look for

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/sexing-cherryheads-a-pictorial-guide.23194/
Hope this helps some .....

 

[Redfoot NERD]

What are the things to look for to differentiate male from female, especially in ?

We can only "GUESS" at best TammyJ.. in juveniles and babies.

Generally we look at size of tail and the 'shape' of the anal scutes = the part of the plastron [ belly shell as shown ] just above the tail. In adult male redfoots that would be a thick / long tail and a wide spread of the anal scutes.. in females a short / stubby tail and an upside-down U of the anal scutes -





So Jeff and I are guessing female...

 

[Redfoot NERD]

See what happens when slow to reply TammyJ...

 

[N2TORTS]

Which the round tail .......was "created/developed " to help ease the eggs down in a nest with better placement guidance. While the male has a broad vent opening to help with longer extensions of the penis " more room "....and a better success rate of an actual impregnation.

 

[N2TORTS]

See what happens when slow to reply TammyJ...

Goof-Ball......I like that side of ya ! ....

 

[N2TORTS]

Long extension of a Male .....



There are always rule breakers ...or "by the book outsiders".....some mature Females can possess concave plastrons

 

[TammyJ]

Great information all! Yeah, sometimes I disappear because I am at my office taking (?) time off to do this and it can cut off abruptly for a number of reasons...! And weekends I will mostly not be around, the internet up in the hills where I live is not all that wonderful.
So, there is no difference in the front claws to tell the sex, like in turtles? I know that male turtles (all of them???) have some really long front claws.