Those of you with known locality reds....

[Sublimeserpents]

I'm wondering about the scale pattern on the head; how much variance are you guys seeing amongst the same locale animals, and how major are the differences between localities? And couple some of you post some pics of the various locals scale pattern on the head?

I'm a sucker for localities( I keep pure dwarf and super dwarf Reticulated pythons) and want to know what I can about the subject. With Retics the scale count tells all( especially the head) I'm wondering if redfoots are similar.

 

[Geochelone_Carbonaria]

I would say that every hatchling that I've got so far (and that is a LOT!) has different pattern each and every one of them ! It's like a fingerprint, and I can tell by the pattern on their head which one they are without having to mark them in any other way...

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Mine are all Columbian. The heads are mostly yellow and the patterns are all different.

 

[tortadise]

I'm wondering about the scale pattern on the head; how much variance are you guys seeing amongst the same locale animals, and how major are the differences between localities? And couple some of you post some pics of the various locals scale pattern on the head?

I'm a sucker for localities( I keep pure dwarf and super dwarf Reticulated pythons) and want to know what I can about the subject. With Retics the scale count tells all( especially the head) I'm wondering if redfoots are similar.

Interesting you bring this up. The 5 clads of carbonaria are described in plastron shape and coloring of either chevrons or lack of. I mentioned the scute colorations in a thread many years back as my guide to telling my locals apart. They all do represent different consistencies within whichever country it is, but not that of the clad. I also have noticed many observations done by me from imported specimens in mass that keep consistent with what it's our collection.

From Suriname(Northeastern clad)
They have yellow scales on none head always 3 large prefrontal scales on the nose. Males have a very pointy snout.
Same as above with Guyana. Guyana tend to have the integrated pink to reddish cheek scales unlike the solid yellow Suriname. However these are both the same clad but different localities. (Remember nature does not know nor care about country borders. Those are unnatural human civilized imaginary boundary lines, that does not stop nature from doing what it does)

Guyana female



From Venezuela (Northern clad)
Have orange to ruby red-pinkish very sparse scales. They have a circle scale in between the eyes, and the 3 prefrontal scales of same color, orange to red legs with blood red scales on the bottom of the feet located posterior on the foot.

Have to get a photo uploaded for this one.

From Brazil(Eastern. Clad)
Obviously the cherry head, they represent a mix of large and small brightly colored red scales on hone head, typically with a mustache. Color is consistent on limbs.
Have to get a photo uploaded for this one too.

From Bolivia(Gran Chaco)
The scales are large densely covering the prefrontal to base of skull with burnt orange colors.
Limbs are constant in color and scaling density as well.

 

[Sublimeserpents]

Interesting you bring this up. The 5 clads of carbonaria are described in plastron shape and coloring of either chevrons or lack of. I mentioned the scute colorations in a thread many years back as my guide to telling my locals apart. They all do represent different consistencies within whichever country it is, but not that of the clad. I also have noticed many observations done by me from imported specimens in mass that keep consistent with what it's our collection.

From Suriname(Northeastern clad)
They have yellow scales on none head always 3 large prefrontal scales on the nose. Males have a very pointy snout.
Same as above with Guyana. Guyana tend to have the integrated pink to reddish cheek scales unlike the solid yellow Suriname. However these are both the same clad but different localities. (Remember nature does not know nor care about country borders. Those are unnatural human civilized imaginary boundary lines, that does not stop nature from doing what it does)

Guyana female
View attachment 105421


From Venezuela (Northern clad)
Have orange to ruby red-pinkish very sparse scales. They have a circle scale in between the eyes, and the 3 prefrontal scales of same color, orange to red legs with blood red scales on the bottom of the feet located posterior on the foot.

Have to get a photo uploaded for this one.

From Brazil(Eastern. Clad)
Obviously the cherry head, they represent a mix of large and small brightly colored red scales on hone head, typically with a mustache. Color is consistent on limbs.
Have to get a photo uploaded for this one too.

From Bolivia(Gran Chaco)
The scales are large densely covering the prefrontal to base of skull with burnt orange colors.
Limbs are constant in color and scaling density as well.
View attachment 105422

That's what I was looking for. It was just a thought that popped into my head as a possible means of identifying between( what I'm sure will end up being agreed upon as subspecies at some point) the "races" of red foot. Maybe there will be something to it.... With the subspecies of Reticulated pythons you can do multiple different scale counts(midbody, ventral...); but the head is the most telling( which is important when you want to buy a Reticulated python that only gets 8 feet instead of 22).

So are you saying the imports matched scale counts on the head or just with the penotype of your personal established locales( plastron color, shape, chevrons)?

I can't wait to see a head pic from the Suriname, Venezuela, and Brazil locales; but what would be great would be if we could get others to post pics of their locale animals to compare.

 

[tortadise]

Bolivian versus Venezuelan profile.

Brazilian

Suriname male


Bolivian alone

Guyana female

 

[N2TORTS]

Mars-

 

[tortadise]

Mars-

Lol.

 

[N2TORTS]

.........

 

[leopard777]

bolivian are the goliath of the species ?

 

[tortadise]

bolivian are the goliath of the species ?

Yep. Females will get 35+ pounds and males mid 20 pound range. They also don't waste band like the other minus cherry heads. 22-24" is a typical adult Bolivian. Mammoths of the Redfoot races.

 

[Kristie8888]

Great post. Thanks for the pics.

 

[cdmay]

Here are some known locality (country of origin only though...) red-footed tortoises.
Eric Holt with a Suriname male



Plastron. This was an impressive male but Eric has many more that are a good bit larger.






Suriname hypo...



A little dirty around the face, sorry.



Englishman with Suriname male...

 

[allegraf]

Eric gets to play with the coolest things!

 

[cdmay]

You have no idea...