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| StarTortoises.net | * Indian / Sri Lankan & Burmese Star Tortoises... plus a few other species... |
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Burmese & Indian / Sri Lankan Star Tortoises
Other Stars Angulate Tortoise Misc. Pages
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Indian / Sri Lankan & Burmese Star Tortoises Male vs female
Female Sri Lankan Star. Notice the short, stubby tail. INDIAN / SRI LANKAN STARS (Geochelone elegans) Determining the gender of young Star tortoises is not always straightforward, because most of the gender characteristics apply to subadult and adult tortoises only. Very young male Star tortoises have flat plastrons and short tails, but the tail will grow and the plastron will concave as the male grows and matures. Some male youngsters start out looking more like females and then suddenly grow a big tail. Size -- Females grow much larger than males. Shape -- Females may be more rounded in overall shape, while males may be more elongated. Male tortoises may also have more flattened shells. Plastron -- Females have flat plastrons and males have concave plastrons. Male's concave plastron aids in mating. Tail -- Females have short, stubby tails. Males have bigger and longer tails. This is the most noticeable gender characteristic in adult tortoises. Nails -- Females have longer nails in the hind legs to facilitate the digging of nests for egg laying. Angle of anal scutes -- In males, it's very open with a wider angle. In females, the angle is narrower, and the opening may be more roundish to allow passage of eggs. Growth rate -- Among siblings raised together, females may grow faster than males. Flashing -- Many Star tortoise boys start to "flash," i.e., show their private parts, in a warm bath when they reach the weight of 200-300 g. This may be the first sure sign that you have a male. Ps. For reference, see the shell scute diagrams.
Rule of thumb for sexing young tortoises If the tortoise looks like a boy, it's a boy. Simple, right? :O)
Photos - G. elegans females
Adult G. elegans female. The tail is short.
Female tail. Photo by Philip Chan. Adult Indian / Sri Lankan Star tortoise females have short, fat, stubby tails with a little tip. The cloacal opening in the tail is roundish, looking kinda like a round star. The supracaudal scute does not curve down, but opens up (for egg laying).
Female G. elegans. Photo by Zoltán Horváth.
Photos - G. elegans males
Adult G. elegans male. The tail is long.
Male tail. Photo by Philip Chan. Adult Indian / Sri Lankan Star tortoise males have long, thick, deep v-shaped tails. The cloacal opening looks more like a slit towards the tail. Anal scutes may be shaped like a mustache with the tips pointing towards the sides. The supracaudal scute may turn inwards (assumably to protect the tail and male organ).
Adult Sri Lankan Star tortoise male. Notice the long length of the tail.
Male G. elegans. Notice the inward curve of the supracaudal scute.
Male Star tortoise's concave plastron. Photo by Jitka.
Photos - G. elegans pair
Female Geochelone elegans may grow 2-3 times the size of a male!
Geochelone elegans pair. Notice the male vs female body size difference.
Flashing vs prolapse Young male Star tortoises often "flash," i.e., show their private parts, in a warm bath. This may be the first sure sign that you have a male. The tortoise male organ is sometimes described as looking like a flower or the Starship Enterprise. :O) Many new tortoise owners become alarmed when they see their male tortoise "flash" for the first time. They often think there's something terribly wrong with the tortoise (e.g. an intestinal prolapse). As long as the private part goes back in after a short while, everything is ok. If it prolapses and stays out, take your tortoise to the vet ASAP to have it treated. Otherwise, it may become necrotic and have to be amputated. On a rare occasion, you may catch a glimpse of your female's private parts as well. The female organ looks similar, but it's smaller and doesn't have a long stem. Here's a link to a sciene blog with photos of "flashing" male tortoises, including a male Geochelone elegans. WARNING: The photos are very graphic. NOT for children. For comparison, here's an article about intestinal prolapse with photos [TT, offsite]. Intestinal prolapse, or prolapse of any other internal parts, is an emergency.
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