Topender Ackie

[monitorlizard]

What makes an ackie a topender?

[Pirarucu]

I believe it is a sort of stripe of differently colored patterning running down the monitor's back. I'll try to find a picture of what I'm talking about.

Edit: Here you are, via a Google search.

[Gatorhunter1231]

This

Sorry couldn't resist. Top ender ackies refer to some that frank retes breed for a while. They had a white base color along the center of the back that went into the normal coloring. My guess is that it was a different locality compared to the normal reds. There are now top ender yellows that have been breed to increase their characteristics whether it be color or spot size etc (normal reds have the same thing happening). It's basically a quality thing. Breeders breeding for certain characteristics. Just like ball pythons, geckos etc.

[Pirarucu]

Originally Posted by Gatorhunter1231

This

Sorry couldn't resist. Top ender ackies refer to some that frank retes breed for a while. They had a white base color along the center of the back that went into the normal coloring. My guess is that it was a different locality compared to the normal reds. There are now top ender yellows that have been breed to increase their characteristics whether it be color or spot size etc (normal reds have the same thing happening). It's basically a quality thing. Breeders breeding for certain characteristics. Just like ball pythons, geckos etc.

LOL.
Yep, that about sums it up. I believe the locality is the northern tip of the V. a. acanthurus range, where it borders on the range of V. a. insulanicus. That's just a guess though.