Re: Leopard subspecies info

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Posted by Terry on December 07, 1998 at 19:23:00:

In Reply to: Leopard subspecies info posted by Ed Lobster on December 07, 1998 at 17:44:02:

: Could somebody provide the details for me on the difference in G. Pardalis Pardalis, and G. Pardalis Babcocki? Regions of Africa, appearance, size, etc? Thanks in advance..... ;)

: P.S. I would never throw my tortoises against a wall...I love them.

Here is a quote from A.C. Highfields book.
The Practical Encyclopedia of Keeping and Breeding Tortoises and Fresh Water Turtles

"Taxonomy.
The only currently disputed area of G. pardalis taxonomy concerns it's division into two subspecies, G. pardalis pardalis and G.pardalis babcocki. Not all authorities accept that two clearly defined geographical races occur. What is not clear, and what might be the cause of at least some of the confusion, is whether these are the only races:certainly some keepers and some field workers I have spoken to are convinced that there may be more.Geographical size variation is certainly widespread in G.pardalis (Lambert. 1995) . Intergrades are in any case reported which further confuses the situation. There are consistent reports of infertility between pairs that are dissimilar in appearance although which theoretically belong to the same subspecies. The best fertility is obtained from pairs that are visually very similar in terms of overall body morphology, colouration and marking.
Of the two recognised forms, G.p. pardalis occupies a limited range in Cape province and in the south-western sector of the Orange Free State, wheras G.p. babcocki ( which is sometimes known as the tropical leopard tortoise) enjoys a much wider distribution and appears to be subject to a higher degree of morphological variation than it's Cape relative.It is clear from a comparison of morphological data from various countries within it's range that a very considerable-differences in average and maximum dimensions occur; in some instances animals from one locality may be up to 300% larger than those from another. This may be due to a combination of dietary, climatic and genetic factors.There are also differences in colouration and patterning. This reinforces the need for care
when selecting animals for captive propagation.

Description:
Whilst juveniles of the two currently recognised subspecies are relatively east to differentiate , the same is not always true of adults. In juveniles, G.p pardalis feature two or more blackish dots in the centre of the costal and vertebral scutes wheras G.p babcocki typically feature only one. In the nominate form the plastral scutes are typically blotched with margins; in G.p babcocki the plastron is typically plainer and lacks the central spots. In adults G.p pardalis are said to be typically flatter than G.p babcocki which is highly domed as well as being considerably smaller in most cases., although this last stated character does not coincide with my own observations; I have seen some extremely large G.p pardalis although as these were captive animals it was not possible to establish their geographical origin.

General Observations:
The leopard tortoise is the second largest African mainland tortoise ( after G. sulcata) . The largest male ever recorded measured 656mm and weighed 43 kg. The largest recorded female measured 705mm and attained a weight of 48.64 kg ( Branch, et. al. 1990) Most are substantially smaller, but it is not unusual to find specimens of both sexes in the 350--450 mm lengh range and weighing above 15 kg. G.p. pardalis occur from Sudan and Ethiopia and extend their range throughout southern Africa. It is named because of it's Strikingly marked carapace which in practice constitutes an excellent camouflage"

Andrew Highfields book is available from the Book Store here at Kingsnakes forum and from the Tortoise Trust.

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Comments:
: : : Could somebody provide the details for me on the difference in G. Pardalis Pardalis, and G. Pardalis Babcocki? Regions of Africa, appearance, size, etc? Thanks in advance..... ;) : : P.S. I would never throw my tortoises against a wall...I love them. : Here is a quote from A.C. Highfields book. : The Practical Encyclopedia of Keeping and Breeding Tortoises and Fresh Water Turtles : "Taxonomy. : The only currently disputed area of G. pardalis taxonomy concerns it's division into two subspecies, G. pardalis pardalis and G.pardalis babcocki. Not all authorities accept that two clearly defined geographical races occur. What is not clear, and what might be the cause of at least some of the confusion, is whether these are the only races:certainly some keepers and some field workers I have spoken to are convinced that there may be more.Geographical size variation is certainly widespread in G.pardalis (Lambert. 1995) . Intergrades are in any case reported which further confuses the situation. There are consistent reports of infertility between pairs that are dissimilar in appearance although which theoretically belong to the same subspecies. The best fertility is obtained from pairs that are visually very similar in terms of overall body morphology, colouration and marking. : Of the two recognised forms, G.p. pardalis occupies a limited range in Cape province and in the south-western sector of the Orange Free State, wheras G.p. babcocki ( which is sometimes known as the tropical leopard tortoise) enjoys a much wider distribution and appears to be subject to a higher degree of morphological variation than it's Cape relative.It is clear from a comparison of morphological data from various countries within it's range that a very considerable-differences in average and maximum dimensions occur; in some instances animals from one locality may be up to 300% larger than those from another. This may be due to a combination of dietary, climatic and genetic factors.There are also differences in colouration and patterning. This reinforces the need for care : when selecting animals for captive propagation. : Description: : Whilst juveniles of the two currently recognised subspecies are relatively east to differentiate , the same is not always true of adults. In juveniles, G.p pardalis feature two or more blackish dots in the centre of the costal and vertebral scutes wheras G.p babcocki typically feature only one. In the nominate form the plastral scutes are typically blotched with margins; in G.p babcocki the plastron is typically plainer and lacks the central spots. In adults G.p pardalis are said to be typically flatter than G.p babcocki which is highly domed as well as being considerably smaller in most cases., although this last stated character does not coincide with my own observations; I have seen some extremely large G.p pardalis although as these were captive animals it was not possible to establish their geographical origin. : General Observations: : The leopard tortoise is the second largest African mainland tortoise ( after G. sulcata) . The largest male ever recorded measured 656mm and weighed 43 kg. The largest recorded female measured 705mm and attained a weight of 48.64 kg ( Branch, et. al. 1990) Most are substantially smaller, but it is not unusual to find specimens of both sexes in the 350--450 mm lengh range and weighing above 15 kg. G.p. pardalis occur from Sudan and Ethiopia and extend their range throughout southern Africa. It is named because of it's Strikingly marked carapace which in practice constitutes an excellent camouflage" : Andrew Highfields book is available from the Book Store here at Kingsnakes forum and from the Tortoise Trust. :

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