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Post by rocmills on Apr 16, 2004 20:29:13 GMT -8
Hi All! Femoral pores, hemipenal bulge, dorsal crest/ridge, jowl size... I know that all of these are external ways to tell whether you have a male or a female... but most of these require waiting until your ig is several years old to be certain. I've noticed the following, and it hasn't failed me yet - regardless of how young the ig is. In my experience, males have "notches" in their dewlaps, and females do not. I'll look for additional photos, but for now, here are a couple of comparissons between our male and our female:   On the left, Mary, our female - notice the smooth edge of the dewlap. On the right, Bailey, our male - notice the "notches" along the edge of his dewlap.   On the left, Mary, our female - notice the smooth edge of the dewlap. On the right, Bailey, our male - notice the "notches" along the edge of his dewlap. These are not the only iguanas I have noticed this phenomenon in.... Has anyone else noticed this? --Roc |
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Post by SurvivorSteph on Apr 16, 2004 22:08:53 GMT -8
Now I'm gonna have to do a SERIOUS dewlap exam on Gil!
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Post by Tesa on Apr 17, 2004 5:28:04 GMT -8
I've known someone else to mention that before (can't remember who tho).
Now I'm gonna have to go thru every pic I have ......lol
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Post by joseph2 on Apr 17, 2004 5:41:58 GMT -8
I've read that on the green iguana society site. This, plus many other 'signs' are definitely characteristics that point to a male, but are not 100 percent determinators. DNA tests are the only absolute way to know for sure.
Joe
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Post by rocmills on Apr 17, 2004 9:20:57 GMT -8
Joseph: It may be true that the only way to tell the sex of a *juvenile* iguana is to have a DNA test performed... However, if your iggie shows you these:  Then it's safe to say the ig is male. On the other hand, if your iggie gives you some of these:  Then it's a sure thing you've got a female. ;-) --Roc |
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Post by joseph2 on Apr 17, 2004 10:31:19 GMT -8
I will agree with you somewhat roc. Yes, if an iguana shows you his hemipenes or lays eggs, then you know for sure. But, if an adult iguana, like mine, doesn't show any of the above, then a DNA test is necessary. And yes, Zilla is an adult (nearly 3 years old), has mainly the characteristics of a male (brain bumps, dewlap notches, large dorsal spikes), but also has some female characteristics(Jowls are not that large). The femoral pores are somewhere in between from what I've seen in pictures. Honestly, I'm not really concerned what sex Zilla is, but if I wanted to find out, the only way would be a DNA test.
Joe
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Post by dominick on Apr 17, 2004 10:46:37 GMT -8
Hi Rocmills-
Welcome to The Zone. Glad to see you here too! I'm like a bad rash when it comes to Ig sites. I show up everywhere! LOL
Interesting theory about dewlap notches. In my experience it's exactly opposite of what you descibe! LOL My 5 yo male Rex has a smooth bottom dewlap, but our 1 yo "unsexed" rescue has the notch and she exhibits all female characteristics.
Makes for an interesting debate though. Try posting the question on the AIML. Would be interested to see what the Igsperts have to say about it.
Joseph- Agreed, there is no better way to test for sex than DNA testing. But, in reality, you must really, really want to know to go to that length, so for most of us, the characteristics are the best indicators.
Also, I find it odd that you have a 3 yo Iguana who has neither exhibited hemipenile flashes or eggs. Certainly the Iguana has been through it's first heat or gravidity by this point? Can you explain why at 3 yo you still don't know? That conserns me greatly.
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Post by joseph2 on Apr 17, 2004 11:01:34 GMT -8
Hello Dominick. I'm not really sure what your concern is, but I'll try to bring some things to light. Most characteristics point Zilla to be a male, so I refer to it as a him. Some iguanas are known not to go through their 'seasons' until later in life. If Zilla is a female, she may have been gravid and reabsorbed her eggs. If Zilla is a he, then maybe he has displayed his hemipenes when I'm not around. The sex of Zilla is not a major concern for me. My concern is that he is healthy (And believe me, he is) and well taken-care of. Zilla also went through about 6 months of treatments for bladder stones. This was a hell of a time, but we all got past it. Maybe this delayed his sexual maturity, I don't know. All I know is that after he started eating normally again after the stones were dissolved, he went through a growth period that has not slowed until this day. I believe I've told you this, but he is 53 inches long at 3 years of age. Now that's impressive! I don't know if that has shed any light on the subject, but it's the best I can do.
Joe
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Post by dominick on Apr 17, 2004 11:16:09 GMT -8
Hi Joseph-
My questions were triggered by your indication that you might not be sure of his sex. But, now I clearly understand where you are at with it.
Well the Bladder Stone incident may very well have thrown his sexual maturity out of wack. That would explain the lack of gravidity and first heat. Just curious about it, that's all. Knowing Iguanas as well as I do, I get worried when things are amiss. Many times it indicates hidden issues.
Certainly his growth sounds wonderful. Keep up the great work!
As you may very well know, a gravid Ig must see a vet. While laying out and absorbtion are the two likely paths a gravid Ig takes, even one egg left inside can be a death sentence. As for males, Rex went through his first heat for 8 months straight. Vicious as he could be, hemipenile flashes daily. NOT a pleasant time for any of us! So, I'm confident (even without DNA testing) that he is clearly male. We made this determination when he entered first heat at around 2 yo. Up until then, we debated fiercely. LOL
I wish good luck for Zilla's continued growth and progress. Rex sends happy head-bobs to Zilla.
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Post by SurvivorSteph on Apr 18, 2004 10:18:23 GMT -8
Well, Gil's dewlap is smooth. And I KNOW he's male... semen left behind and a hemi flash once.
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Post by rocmills on May 29, 2004 10:37:08 GMT -8
Well, Gil's dewlap is smooth. Steph, Is that Gil in your profile? Cuz it kinda looks like there is a big notch in his dewlap, but the picture isn't so good for dewlap viewing. LOL Fine fine fine... blow my theory right out of the water all of you. Sheesh. There goes my fame and fortune. Weep wail. <wink> Still, I find it interesting and will continue to observe and collect data before I toss my theory out the window all-together. --Roc |
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Post by SurvivorSteph on Jun 1, 2004 23:36:56 GMT -8
Yep, it's him. And I've got plenty of other pics of him floating around here too. Check them out and see what you think.
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Post by IguanaKing on Jun 12, 2004 16:26:14 GMT -8
My newest girl, Audrey, has several notches in her dewlap due to a battle with mite infestation before I adopted her.
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Post by anthony on May 16, 2006 2:44:41 GMT -8
Anyone still have those pics of the different dewlaps? I'd LOVE to see them!
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Post by crazybaby on May 16, 2006 10:14:50 GMT -8
I would say the notch thing is a fairly valid check point, but not a whole heck of a lot reliable. In the sence of adding up certain "signs" I would say the notches is fairly frequent in males. My 2yr old Sancho is a male, and has a notch is his dewlap. The main sign I had of his "male-ness" were his hemes, they are massive! lol I mean you could see the bumps from far away thats how apparent they were! Plus when he first discovered their true workings he liked to pop them out from time to time in the tub and leave me little gifts!  He only started to develop small jowls about the same time as last breeding season, and his "brain bumps" are only starting to form a bit more now. I would say that a notch in the dewlap is something to consider until they reach maturity, if only to help with naming the guy before they get older  |
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He only started to develop small jowls about the same time as last breeding season, and his "brain bumps" are only starting to form a bit more now. 