Tortoise eye colour

Status
Not open for further replies.

Yourlocalpoet

Active Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jun 5, 2010
Messages
526
Location (City and/or State)
Yorkshire, United Kingdom
I don't know if this is a stupid question but, do tortoises generally have different eye colours? Most tortoises I've seen in person appear to have black eyes but Esmerelda has green eyes, or it appears that there's green pigment in her iris...
Thoughts?
 

Tracy Gould

New Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Apr 29, 2010
Messages
620
Location (City and/or State)
Pontefract West Yorkshire U,K
Yourlocalpoet said:
I don't know if this is a stupid question but, do tortoises generally have different eye colours? Most tortoises I've seen in person appear to have black eyes but Esmerelda has green eyes, or it appears that there's green pigment in her iris...
Thoughts?

I have only seen then with the little black eyes and my little one Shelby as black eyes. Has Esmerelda alway had this green it sounds very unusual Pics would be good.
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
63,483
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
I think they are mostly the same within a species.

26455ok.jpg

dpcqw7.jpg


This is Bert. Its the best eye shot I had on hand.
 

Yourlocalpoet

Active Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jun 5, 2010
Messages
526
Location (City and/or State)
Yorkshire, United Kingdom
Tom said:
I think they are mostly the same within a species.

26455ok.jpg

dpcqw7.jpg


This is Bert. Its the best eye shot I had on hand.

Hmm, it looks like there is a subtle difference between the colour of the iris to the pupil, would you agree with that? I've just realised I don't know what kind of eyes tortoises have, I assume they would be similar to mammals and have refractive corneas?



Tracy Gould said:
Yourlocalpoet said:
I don't know if this is a stupid question but, do tortoises generally have different eye colours? Most tortoises I've seen in person appear to have black eyes but Esmerelda has green eyes, or it appears that there's green pigment in her iris...
Thoughts?

I have only seen then with the little black eyes and my little one Shelby as black eyes. Has Esmerelda alway had this green it sounds very unusual Pics would be good.

I don't know really, I just noticed yesterday when she was in the bath. Perhaps it was the sun that highlighted the colour from the pupil, when I say green I don't mean like really green, just like a dull green/brown colour. From a distance her eyes look black, the photos I have don't really support my claim!
 

Yvonne G

Old Timer
TFO Admin
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Messages
93,449
Location (City and/or State)
Clovis, CA
I've seen two distinct colors in desert tortoises' eyes, greenish and brown. The greenish ones are very strange-looking (but wonderful!).
 

Mr00Tyler

New Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Sep 4, 2010
Messages
1
I have a tortoise who has a distinct green crescent mark on his left eye. I was thinking it might be an injury that he got from another one of my tortoises scatching him (on accident, of course), but I am not sure.
854fe0b3.jpg

7ce29a8a.jpg

78606091.jpg


He doesn't seem to be blind in that eye, although it would make sense that he is since he eats less than both of my other tortoises. Does anyone else have a mark like this on their tortoise? Any information?
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
63,483
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
DTs win for best tortoise eyes. Box turtles win for best turtle eyes.
 

motero

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
Joined
Mar 8, 2010
Messages
753
Location (City and/or State)
Arizona
A wild Sonoran tortoise I came upon had striking yellow eyes. This picture does not do the color justice but you can see it.

P1030593.jpg
 

shane1111

Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Aug 27, 2010
Messages
129
do all red foots get the yellow and black eyes? Mine all you can see is black I can't tell where the iris is. But I have seen big red foots and cherry heads with yellow around the black iris. So is there a chance mine will get the yellow?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

New Posts

Top