savannah monitor markings

[nepoez]

Hi people,

I noticed one of my savs(the shy one) has very distinct white dots on his back while the other one has very faded spots. Is this permanent or just for now? Because so far that's the only way I can tell them apart and I hope they stay different that way. Anyone know? thx!

[Pirarucu]

Could be that the bright one's a male. They do tend to have higher contrast than females do, though that's just a generality, and there are plenty of exceptions. I would not count on it being a reliable way to tell the difference in the future, for one thing their colors will be stained or even covered completely by dirt once they are older and not shedding 24/7. Not to mention, their colors will change a bit as they grow as well. Don't worry, you'll be able to tell the difference easily when you've owned them long enough, even if they look identical to everyone else.