Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello everyone,

I need to now on short term which specie this Ctenosaura is. Is this the palearis or the melanosterna?

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1.1.0 Ctenosaura melanosterna

LOL. Looks like a palearis but I know in Europe there are a ton of palearis/melanosterna hybrids so that could be a possiblity. Some hybrids could be indistinguishable so I would be very careful if purchasing animals.

And how is it possible for me to see if their hybride or not?
I spoke to Wim v/d Heuvel and he thought it definately could be a melanosterna. Because this animal has some yellow on her head. The seller of these animals says that they have a black chest (without me asking for it). So what should I do??
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1.1.0 Ctenosaura melanosterna

What should you do? If your not sure if it is pure, keep it as a pet and don't breed it? Or, sell it at a discount to someone who just wants a pet lizard. Thats what I would do?
If your suspicious of the breeder, and if he is fairly close, it may be worth your time to ask if you can visit and see the adults. If the breeder doesn't want you to come over, ask for some photos via e-mail with the lizard next to a current newspaper for a date reference.

not identified immediately!

Hey, I told you it was a palearis. If its wild caught, its a palearis. If captive bred, look at the parents and see if some idiot hybridized the two species. But, I think its a palearis.

The person who is selling this lizard, found out after identifying it for three hours with someone else, that they are palearis instead of melanosterna. So this isn't an animal of mine and I'm not going to buy them (male and female).

So my search for a second female is still on..
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1.1.0 Ctenosaura melanosterna

Three hours identifing a lizard?? Whew!! Anyway, glad you got your answers.