[HOME] HOW TO CARE FOR AUSTRALIAN FRESHWATER TORTOISES Page 15 REPRODUCTION AND SEXUAL DIFFERENCES Male tortoises have longer tails than females, and their plastrons are flat or curved inward. The females' plastrons are flat or curved outward. These characteristics cannot be seen when they are babies. "Most of the sex determining features do not appear until the tortoise is mature.  Emydura macquari male is immediately recognisable by the length and thickness of his tail. In Chelodina species it is almost impossible to determine the sex, and captive females often lay fertile eggs without apparent contact with a male. The female can retain sperm from a mating in the wild for a period of four years. Normally the female comes ashore to nest, but if unable to do so, will lay eggs in water where the embryos suffocate." (Beattie p.43-44) Female tortoises like to have a patch of soft soil where they can dig a hole in which to lay their eggs. Once the eggs are laid, the tortoise covers them so carefully that the human eye cannot see where the hole has been. The eggs look like ping-pong balls. Baby tortoises rarely hatch in captivity. DANGERS There are two things which you should never do to your tortoise. Firstly, never paint on its shell, as its shell must breathe or it will die. Secondly, never bore a hole in the shell. This is very cruel. Tortoises, like any other creature, love to be free to roam. To tie them to anything so they cannot escape is as cruel as it would be to do it to a human. Besides, there is no way you can tie up a tortoise without harming it greatly.  Shell-boring, as mentioned, is excruciatingly painful. Tying string or cord around one leg is just as bad. It inevitably cuts off the circulation and the poor tortoise lives in constant pain as the leg dies, rots and finally drops off altogether. This has happened all too frequently. String around the neck would, of course, kill the tortoise. Do not allow little children to maul the animal. Tortoises should not be over-handled. When putting a new tortoise in a tank with a tortoise that is already living there, watch for as long as possible to ensure that there is no attack from the first tortoise, who may have developed a territorial feeling for the tank. Never put baby tortoises with adult tortoises. So to prevent escapes, a comfortable and secure enclosure is the answer. Don't turn tortoises over on their backs; this is psychologically traumatic for them. Look after your tortoises; they may soon become members of a rare species. Due to constant, indiscriminate trapping, their numbers are dwindling rapidly. It would be a great pity if such beautiful, unique and fascinating reptiles were to become rare or die out completely due to man's exploitation. MENU: Tortoise Descriptions: PAGE 1 PAGE 2 PAGE 3 Indoor Living Quarters: PAGE 4 PAGE 5 PAGE 6 PAGE 7 PAGE 8 PAGE 9 Outdoor Living Quarters: PAGE 10 Feeding: PAGE 11 Hibernation: PAGE 12 Ailments: PAGE 13 Behaviour and Intelligence: PAGE 14 How Old is the Tortoise? PAGE 14 Dangers: PAGE 15 Reproduction and Sexual Differences PAGE 15 References: PAGE 16