Examples of adult
Tortoise Lionheads

TORTOISE

The surface of the body is to be a rusty orange color on the loin, blending with a gray-black on the sides, rump, belly, head, feet and tail. The color is to extend well down the hair shaft to an off-white undercolor. Eyes-- Brown.

Faults: Stray white hairs; underside of tail light in color.

 

 

TORTOISE

This is the self in the wide band (small EE) family. It is also called Madagascar,
Tortoiseshell, and Sooty Fawn (though sometimes Sooty Fawn really refers to a Fawn)

Contrary to widely held opinion Tortoise is NOT a genetic shaded color. When the ARBA moved this color form the AOV (Any Other Variety Group) to the Shaded Group they managed to cause great confusion among rabbit breeders who do not understand genetic breeding for genotype.

Tortoise seems behave in some ways much the same way as the shaded gene. It has the appearance of "shading on the points and lower sides" this is caused by the way the
small e gene works to block the black pigment out of the coat. Tortoise like some shaded varieties often tends to darken with age.

Tortoise can also occur with Blue, Chocolate and Lilac shading. The orange portion of the coat in Tortoise in the Chocolate family tends to have a very brassy cast and are often confused with red family rabbits with a rufuse modifier. The easiest way to tell is to look closely at the ear shading if it black or blue then a modifier of some sort is changing the orange base color. If the ear color is Chocolate the fact that the deeper black tones are missing from the coat gives the coat a brighter cast.


Mulder as a youngster
(above) Mulder darken with age at 18 months (below)


Blue Tortoise doe

Tortoise can occur in Black (the most common) and the variety most people think of when you say "Tortoise". It can also occur with Blue (dilute) shading. Blue Tortoise is fairly common in Lionheads. In some countries the dilute Tortoise is called an Isabella or an Isabella Cream. If reflects the color name used in dilute red colored dogs in some breeds.

Tortoise seems to be impacted by many modifiers. When it is impacted by a rufise modifier it
can take on a brilliant cast.

The two Tortoise babies on the right are sisters. The one in the rear has not got a rufus modifier.
Both have black ear lacing but the rufse doe show little shading of points or sides are this point.
It has been my experience that this will change as she ages but she will never carry as much shading as a Tortoise lacking the modifier.


ticked surface color

Tortoise also can be impacted by a modifier that almost makes the rabbit looked "ticked" as the rabbit ages. This not a true steel gene as it happens well after the rabbit is an adult. It seems to be somewhat impacted by temperature When coupled with some of the modifier that darken the coat and very cold temperature during molt can cause the rabbit almost take on a black cast The doe on the left was a clean orange tort when she was younger but has developed this "ticked" look overlay. I think this has a lot to do with common English name for the Tortoise color which is Sooty Fawn.


On to the
TAN PATTERN
PAGE

 

anyone wishing to contribute photos to this endeavor is welcome to send them as jape file (uncropped if possible) to:
lionhead@black-hole.com
We would like to thank the following breeders who have supported this effort with use of pictures of their Lionheads - Diane Ricketson, Dawn Goth, JoAnn Statler, Laurie Hassel, Denise Seas, Brenda Lindner,Tina Marie Jackson, Mueller/Raffish, Christine Pan, Bar Brown, The Gibbons, T & T Codfish, Angel Ferguson, Sandy Aires, Arden Wetzel

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