<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9492805#post9492805 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Pete
AmandaL, 2 of the dragons I've had as well as a few others fellow hobbyists of which I've seen personally have had marked differences in coloration and were subsequently sexed in the manner you describe and consistent with the observations I describe above the males were darker/brighter than the pale(duller) females. The testing supported this, at least in my relatively small sample (7 eels) of which 4 were female. Was this coincidence? maybe? but each female was much lighter in color than every male This was done at a local aquarium near L.A. California by a friend of mine that once worked there. I'm familiar with Bob Fenner and actually, according to MR. Fenners response unless you mis-typed it he says he has never seen a pair of dragons in the wild?
Amanda's boyfriend, here. Nice to meet some fellow Dragon owners. We're far and few between...long time owners, anyway.
On all accounts, Pete, I wouldn't quite call it coincidence. But, of course you're going to find many differences between each specimen...especially after you knew, for sure, the sex of each.
Scientifically proven, their patterns are like fingerprints...no two are alike.
If you were talk walk up to a tank full of Dragons, there's no way for anyone to be able to tell their sex, just by looking at them. You could guess and maybe you'd be right 25%/50% of the time, but guessing is all it would be.
I've worked at Shedd Aquarium, in Chicago...have many colleagues at Sea World, Orlando and Monterey Bay...blah, blah, blah...scientists, around the world, all agree that you cannot tell the sex just by looking at the specimen.
We could argue about this all day, I'm sure...and no offense to you, but I'm more likely to believe world renowned individuals over a fellow hobbiest, who's just happened to have a few of these eels.
