What species do I have any help please

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michellem

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Hi, im new to this forum but hopefully someone can help me with my torts. Can anyone tell me the breeds I have both the common and latin names please, Thanks in advance. tort big one 003.JPGjuly+nov 12, april 2013 349.JPG132.JPG
 
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Jabuticaba

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What breeds do I have any help please

Welcome! I'm not very good at IDing. I'm new to this also, but someone will be along shortly to help you.

How did you get your torts? Are they rescues?

May[CHERRY BLOSSOM], Darwin[TURTLE] & Wallace[TURTLE]
Winnipeg, Canada
 

tortadise

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RE: What breeds do I have any help please

Welcome. Those are Greeks(the middle one though looks like a hermann maybe). I am not the best a the greek tortoise Id. But thats my thoughts. Testudo greaca, they look like Iberia. Testudo Greaca Iberia.
 

GeoTerraTestudo

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RE: What breeds do I have any help please

There are no breeds of tortoise, because tortoises are wild animals, not domesticated. All the variety you see comes from naturally occurring species and subspecies.

#1 and #3 - These look like Ibera Greek tortoises (Testudo graeca ibera).
#2 - This one looks like a Dalmatian Hermann tortoise (Testudo hermanni hercegovinensis).
 

FLINTUS

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RE: What breeds do I have any help please

GeoTerraTestudo said:
There are no breeds of tortoise, because tortoises are wild animals, not domesticated. All the variety you see comes from naturally occurring species and subspecies.

#1 and #3 - These look like Ibera Greek tortoises (Testudo graeca ibera).
#2 - This one looks like a Dalmatian Hermann tortoise (Testudo hermanni hercegovinensis).
I agree.
 

Yvonne G

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RE: What breeds do I have any help please

Whoo hoo!! I'm getting better! I was going to say, "Graeca, Hermanns, Graeca." (but, sh-sh-sh-...I really was thinking Egyptian for the third, smallest one!)
 

GeoTerraTestudo

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RE: What breeds do I have any help please

Yvonne G said:
Whoo hoo!! I'm getting better! I was going to say, "Graeca, Hermanns, Graeca." (but, sh-sh-sh-...I really was thinking Egyptian for the third, smallest one!)

The third small one is rather Egyptian-like, but Egyptians have lighter-colored shells with the high point farther back on the carapace.
 

Jlant85

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What breeds do I have any help please

The second one I highly think is an Ibera. Cant really the first one. Can you wash the shell of 1 and 2, take a picture of he the button and tail area (tail up close)? The third I think is Egyptian.
 

FLINTUS

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RE: What breeds do I have any help please

3rd is definitely NOT an Egyptian. Wrong colour and shape. They are all without doubt graecas/hermanni. As said, I would go with ibera, thh, ibera, but I'm think the first could be tgg now.
Edit: Mmmm... thinking 2nd could be marginated now due to the shell shape, but no doubt the pyramiding/possible MBD had an effect on that. Could we have plastron pictures please, their ages-if you know- and sizes?


The 3rd one, the Ibera, appears to be of Turkish origin as far as I can tell
 

Jlant85

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What breeds do I have any help please

I don't know bout Ibera for the 3rd. Coloration is off. Can't really tell by the size cus he/she might still be a juvenile. Bottom picture would help. Male and female differ in size and this would help.


Juvenile one I was talkin bout he first picture.
 

Jlant85

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What breeds do I have any help please

Thinking bout it a little more, first and second picture looks a lot more like a Jordanian Greek than Iberas.


I agree with flint
 

tortadise

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RE: What breeds do I have any help please

Egyptians seen here

2 and 1 Year old Greaca Iberia seen here



Marginated Seen Here
 

GeoTerraTestudo

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RE: What breeds do I have any help please

Note: There's a big difference between Iberia and Ibera. Iberia is the southwestern-most part of Europe, separated from the rest of Europe by the Pyrenees Mountains. The climate there is truly Mediterranean and mild. The Greek tortoise found there is the nominate subspecies, Testudo graeca graeca (the same as that found across the Strait of Gibraltar in North Africa).

In contrast, Ibera is a region in Turkey, the southeastern-most part of Europe. The elevation there is higher, so although it's still part of the Mediterranean, the climate is cooler. The Greek tortoise found there is appropriately named Testudo graeca ibera, and it's more cold-tolerant than other Greek tortoise subspecies. Its appearance is also distinct from that of other Greek tortoise subspecies.

So, as you can see there is a big difference between Iberian and Iberan Greek tortoises! :cool:
 

Jlant85

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RE: What breeds do I have any help please

I swear they look like Testudo Greaca Terristris? no?


Terrestris come from jordan,syria, and lebanon.
 

FLINTUS

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As said, Iberia is not a recognised subspecies, it is a common name for the peninsula of Portugal and Spain. It can still get very cold there. TGG's have been frequently proved to be active at under 50 in the wild.
 

michellem

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Thank you all so much for your advise. I am so pleased so many people have answered. I will take more photos in the next few days and see if that helps a bit more. They have all been given to me over the past 8 years, the younger ones I have 11 of were givn to me last year. I am situated in Spain so these types mentioned make a lot of sense although they may be from various places. I ask the question as I am returning to the UK and I know you can only take some species through europe to UK and do not want any problems. I enquired through DEFRA and they have asked for their latin names. I am worried about leaving them here as I do not know anyone who would look after them properly. If I cannot take them with me I will ask at local zoo to see if they will take them and look after them. There is no local vet herecthat specialises in reptiles or torts either so your advise is important to me and my babies. Thanks again
 

GBtortoises

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The first tortoise is not an Ibera Greek, Testudo (graeca) ibera. It looks to be one of the Northeast African subspecies, although it is difficult to tell from the one photo.
The second tortoise might be an Ibera Greek, it has some growth deformity so it's true shape, scute structure and patterns are obscured by that.
The third one is very doubtfully an Ibera Greek either based on what can be seen in the one photo.

What would better help identify all of them are the animals cleaned up (to see their accurate scute structure, pattern & coloration) and photos of each taken from directly above looking downward and from directly below showing a full few of their plastron. Head and front leg photos are helpful also as are a side few looking straight on (not angled downward).
 

FLINTUS

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So you think TGG like I thought it may be? Or maybe Moroccan? The 3rd to me looks like a Turkish Ibera. You can transport torts freely through the EU providing you have the valid selling papers, do you have A10's for them?
 

tglazie

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They all appear to be Moroccan/Spanish Testudo graeca graeca, aka the common tortoise, from what I'm seeing. That second one is the one I'm least certain about given that it is rather deformed, but they are all rather dusty (nothing wrong with that; you can't hang with the tortoises if you can't dig the dirt), but a 100% proof positive ID isn't possible. Looking forward to seeing the other pictures.

T.G.
 
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