Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Greetings!

As I've been gathering information on turtle hybridization, I've run across several references to turtle hybrids in the kingsnake.com archives. Can anyone verify or provide more information on the following turtle hybrids? Any information on other turtle hybrids would also be helpful. Thanks!

1) Geochelone sulcata X G. pardalis (posted by Andrew Godambe on 2/22/99 & Paul V on 7/1/00)

2) Geochelone radiata X G. carbonaria (posted by Paul V on 7/1/00)

3) Red foot X Yellow foot tortoise (posted by honuman on 4/27/06)

Thanks again!
Tim

Hi ive heard of the first one and last one, i acctually remember when the sulcataxleo was being sold, i cant say for sure if it really was it looked odd, but who knows, also a yellow and red food crosse makes a "orange foot tortoises", either way i think you should never cross breed, there really no need and its just messing up blood lines.

I really do not see how cross breeding ¨messes up¨ bloodlines. It´s the same types of selective manipulation that gives rise to various morphs. If our collective goal was to create populations to release into the wild, I might agree with you, but as a direction for a hobby, this seems pretty natural, ironically.

>>Hi ive heard of the first one and last one, i acctually remember when the sulcataxleo was being sold, i cant say for sure if it really was it looked odd, but who knows, also a yellow and red food crosse makes a "orange foot tortoises", either way i think you should never cross breed, there really no need and its just messing up blood lines.

If you consider tortoise species to be captive representatives of creatures that are threatened with extinction in the wild - as nearly all species are - then creating hybrids is a really bad idea. Better to use your energy and time and cage space to increase the captive gene pool rather than create novelty items.

I don't see where there can't be room for pets and conservation.

Some people think trying to produce albinos is along the same line as hybrids.

It would be really neat for people to learn to agree to disagree. Think of all the arguments that would end... (that wouldn't be fun)

>>If you consider tortoise species to be captive representatives of creatures that are threatened with extinction in the wild - as nearly all species are - then creating hybrids is a really bad idea. Better to use your energy and time and cage space to increase the captive gene pool rather than create novelty items.
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Ed @ Tortoise Keepers
Trying to keep the fun in Chelonian care

If the purpose is to create "representatives" of animals in the wild, then you would be right.

But if the ultimate aim is to preserve, creating desirable hybrids for the pet trade that are unavailable in the wild would go a long way to easing some of the pet-trade pressure on wild populations.

>>If you consider tortoise species to be captive representatives of creatures that are threatened with extinction in the wild - as nearly all species are - then creating hybrids is a really bad idea. Better to use your energy and time and cage space to increase the captive gene pool rather than create novelty items.

Morphs are made from breeding the same species for a selected color, pattern, or trait. I don't see how you can compare hybrids to morphs. Breeding for naturally occurring recessive genetic traits is not the same as creating a totally new kind of animal. While breeding for things like albinism promotes inbreeding it is nothing compared to the tainting of the entire species' gene pool by making it hard to find pure animals for any purpose other than for the pet trade. Unfortunately conservation and captive breeding efforts have already been damaged almost beyond repair in the propagation of many crocodilians and specific species like diamond pythons, hog island boas, Stimpson's pythons, Lewisi Blue Rock Iguanas etc…
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