Sub Species

[BowandWalter]

I've had Walter for awhile, and all attempts at identification on my part have sorta tied between Dalmatian and Western. I'm in limbo getting a girl, anyone on Pretend Chat knows how excited I am! But I'd like to know for sure what he is so there's no cross breed babies in his distant future. Pictures don't do justice to his bright lemon yellow coloring. Also he isn't female, he's just tail challenged.
Thanks for any help!

 

[GBtortoises]

He's a Dalmatian, Testudo hermanni hercegovinensis

 

[BowandWalter]

He's a Dalmatian, Testudo hermanni hercegovinensis

How do you know for certain? I don't doubt that your right, this is just a nifty skill I'd like to possess.

 

[GBtortoises]

The two identifying features that immediately stand out with your tortoise is the fact that it has no inguinal scutes-both Westerns and Easterns always have them. The ingunials are two small triangular shaped scutes that are present at the bridge where the carapace and plastron meet in front of the rear leg sockets. As well as your tortoise having the same size pectoral and femoral center seams on the plastron. In Westerns the pectoral seam is shorter than the femoral seam. The lateral pectoral seam forms a "U" shape, rather than a "V" which is more typcially found on Easterns and Westerns. While your tortoise does have a weakly defined keyhole pattern on the 5th vertabral which is a common trait of Westerns, it is not exclusive to Westerns and can be fairly common in Dalmatians too as well occasionally in Easterns. From what I can see in the photo yours also does not have the head coloration or features of a Western, but of a Dalmatian or Eastern.

 

[BowandWalter]

The two identifying features that immediately stand out with your tortoise is the fact that it has no inguinal scutes-both Westerns and Easterns always have them. The ingunials are two small triangular shaped scutes that are present at the bridge where the carapace and plastron meet in front of the rear leg sockets. As well as your tortoise having the same size pectoral and femoral center seams on the plastron. In Westerns the pectoral seam is shorter than the femoral seam. The lateral pectoral seam forms a "U" shape, rather than a "V" which is more typcially found on Easterns and Westerns. While your tortoise does have a weakly defined keyhole pattern on the 5th vertabral which is a common trait of Westerns, it is not exclusive to Westerns and can be fairly common in Dalmatians too as well occasionally in Easterns. From what I can see in the photo yours also does not have the head coloration or features of a Western, but of a Dalmatian or Eastern.

Thank you! That actually makes the identification of subspecies papers make a lot more sence.