Blackthroat sexing Q.

[justinO]

while attempting to spend some quality time with Trogdor, my blackthroat monitor, it decided to show its affection to us by releasing its wonderful urates all over us and our couch.. anyways, while doing this, the animal everted its hemi-something. Trog is slightly over 2' long.. and it's eversion was about 5/8 of an inch. I didn't notice any spikes like i have on my savannah, also the blackthroat's was fairly even in diameter all the way up the shaft (as opposed to wider at the top on a savannah).

So, my question is: does it sound like i have a female? I should be getting a digital camera in a few weeks, so i'll be able to post pictures in a few weeks.

thanks

Justin & Jessy

[V.hb]

pics!!

[Boid_22]

Justin! Whats up bud..? I would try asking Ravi, Maybe he could shed some insight on your situation!

Cheers...ED

[justinO]

vbh, this is the first time we've even seen it! it'll be a longggggg time before we could possibly get pics.....

it was the only good thing that came out of the BT peeing all over the damn love seat was that we got to see him/her pop!

anyone got a love seat they want to sell? we are now looking! lol


and hi Ed! it's jessy, we already mailed ravi as soon as we saw that...... hopefully he'll know!

[SHvar]

I had trouble for a while, but when you see a male and a female, theres no question as to which they are from 2 or so months old on. The male albig has BULGES!! not bulges at the tail base, the heads are different shaped, and the general body shape is a bit different . The hemi-clitori of albigs can be large and even long, but they are smooth with an end that resembles a roll, of course you didnt see a full eversion either because the male during a full eversion has 2 large hemipenes that have a large flowered end with 2 scent glands, and what appears like cooling fins below the end. I remeber the quote "medevil weapons of war" as a description. Somewhere on a different forum some good pics were posted of males hemipenes.

[mbayless]

Hi,

Your observations are good.... the savanna monitor with "spikes and frills" is a male, and I bet the spikey thing = hemibacculla. Hemipenes is bigger on the left side than right, and it is a boy by the way. As shvar said, the females have smooth, tapered hemi-clitorii, and it has no hemibaccula, but smooth tappering to a point = a scent gland.

Most African varanus mate on the left side, using their right side ones for a "spare?" or as a scent marker perhaps?? It is not really known what they do with them, and to my knowledge the two have not been compared/contrasted; Bohme & Ziegler did write an extensive article/book on the hemi-structures of Varanidae, with ilustrations/pictures of both hemipenes/hemiclitorii...a good saurien porno-book

cheers,
markb

[justinO]

here are a few pics i just snapped with my webcam, I apologise for the lack of quality.

here is a headshot.

[justinO]

and a full body shot. I'm surprised he co-operated with me enough to take the photos!

again, sorry for the bad photo quality.

[mbayless]

Hi Ed,

Well, from your description, = no hemibaccula on the hemi-thingy, and the pic, I'ld say it is a female, probably from Kenya, and/or north towards Lake Victoria and Kenya border in Tanzania, East Africa.

PS: female albigularis have a stronger scent to them than males, a sweetly roasted almonds scent - so when you smell something in the house and it is not your mom's apple pies, it your female albigularis!

Good Luck, enjoy your female!
cheers,
markb

[SHvar]

I found this pic, heres one way of telling a male BT from a female.

[justinO]

SHvar, would you happen to have a higher resolution copy of that image available?

If i were to compare between that image and the picture of a male savannah's hemi-pene found <a href="http://proexotics.com/faq_images/Savannah%20hemipene.jpg">here</a>, I would definatly say female as well.


Many thanks to everyone! I am happy to have finially determined her gender

[SHvar]

The most obvious way to tell a male albig outwardly, besides head shape, body shape, etc. The tail base is bulged so out of proportion that it looks as if somethings wrong. The head on a male is bigger, bulging eye crests, bulging nostrils, thicker lower jawbone, wider nose, etc. The body shape is thinner in general build on the male, as the female is built to develop and carry as many as 52 eggs each 2.25 inches long. The female generally has a better attitude, is more handlable. Males can get bigger eventually.

[justinO]

I gotcha.. .. many thanks.. everyones help is greatly appreciated.

[varanuskomodoen]

thanks for the (ahem) picture .