Giant vs. Non-giant

[Rhacodactyl]

I've never seen a comparison picture of a giant next to a normally sized gecko of the same age, so I thought some of you might find this useful. The RAPTOR is 8 months old and 63 grams, while the stripe (excuse her coloration, she's in shed) is just over a year old and 45 grams. So despite the fact that the giant is larger at a younger age, you can see she has a proportionately longer tail and torso as well. Also, despite the difference in overall size I'd say they're roughly equal in girth at this point and their heads are about the same size. I've heard super giants have larger heads as juveniles, but I can't comment on that from personal experience.

I've got 3 giants and the one normal-sized leo at the moment, so I think I'll get good measurements of each one's SVL and total length. I'd need to get more measurements of normally sized leos to make it more accurate, but I'm guessing there's a substantially different ratio of tail length to SVL or TL between normal and giant leos...so if we could work up a typical ratio range for normal and giant leos it'd probably be easier to tell giants from non-giants even as small juveniles. What do you guys think?

 

[xboxmember1978]

Honestly since you asked for opinions, I would say that neither of those in the pic are giant's including your RAPTOR. I think your RAPTOR looks like a giant compared to your stripe cause your stripe is very small(45 grams). Your RAPTOR is only 63 grams which I don't believe is even close to be considered a giant.

The best way to do it is wait til your RAPTOR is full grown approx 1 1/2 years and get some measurements then. I have a Super Giant male, Giant female and a unknown 140 gram male so I do know a bit about giants. You are however right about the fact that Giants and Super Giants do have a longer torso and tail but if your comparing it to your small strip then alot of leopard geckos would look like Giants.

 

[Rhacodactyl]

Honestly since you asked for opinions, I would say that neither of those in the pic are giant's including your RAPTOR. I think your RAPTOR looks like a giant compared to your stripe cause your stripe is very small(45 grams). Your RAPTOR is only 63 grams which I don't believe is even close to be considered a giant.

I think you must have missed the part where I said the RAPTOR is just 8 months old. Her parents were over 90 and 100 grams respectively at a year old and she's following the same growth rate that they did.

The best way to do it is wait til your RAPTOR is full grown approx 1 1/2 years and get some measurements then. I have a Super Giant male, Giant female and a unknown 140 gram male so I do know a bit about giants. You are however right about the fact that Giants and Super Giants do have a longer torso and tail but if your comparing it to your small strip then alot of leopard geckos would look like Giants.

It was pretty obvious she and her sibling were giants way before I even got that stripe. Besides the longer build and the fact that they came from giant parents, they hatched at a larger size and have grown at approximately the same rate as their parents did.

 

[xboxmember1978]

It would have been nice to have all this info before I posted I was replying with the info I had read. If I had known you knew the parents and siblings I wouldn't have said what I did

 

[Rhacodactyl]

It would have been nice to have all this info before I posted I was replying with the info I had read. If I had known you knew the parents and siblings I wouldn't have said what I did

No problem, just wanted to make sure I hadn't missed anything either. I could have taken a pic with my adult RAPTOR next to the stripe since they're both a year old, but she dwarfs the stripe so much I thought it would be harder to make a good comparison. I might do that anyway just to show the drastic size difference, but it'll probably have to wait until tomorrow.

 

[xboxmember1978]

Yeah my Super Giant male is 124 grams and my unknown male is 140 grams. I still sometimes can't believe that he is almost 20 grams heavier then my Super Giant

 

[godzillizard]

Giant (or size) is a polygenetic trait--not co-dom! It acts similar to a codom, when you breed the biggest to the biggest. IMOE Plus, size depends on many factors, not just genetics. Rearing temps, nutrition, stress, etc. can all impact the size a leopard maxes out at. I've had female offspring from super giant bred to giant that maxed out at 45-50g. And I've also had giant to giant female offspring max out at 100g... Some giants are obvious at hatching--long slender heads, tails and bodies, but some look 'normal', and then grow out to be honkers?!? Again, this is my experience/opinion after working with giants/supers since '06