Well....I tried the flashlight method and I couldn't see any hemipene blood vessels. I don't know if the flashlight is powerful enough though, it is a LED. Since nobody guessed two females I'm going to assume I failed the experiment All I got was bit for my efforts

Tim

Did you see the Biawak article, when Danny Brown did it you can see the outline of the hemipenes quite clearly...Maybe as you say, the light wasn`t powerful enough, can you take a photo of them with their heads close, (from the top ?)

I'll try and take a pic. I don't want to mess with them right now since neither is all too happy with me

Yes, it`s best not to stress them, maybe in a few days...

Wow I'm late on this one! well those are some good looking ackies!

__________________
“I've always liked reptiles. I used to see the universe as a mammoth snake, and I used to see all the people and objects, landscapes, as little pictures in the facets of their scales. I think peristaltic motion is the basic life movement. Swallowing,”

Its frustrating because I can see the veins in my finger when I shine the light through.

Neither would sit still well and the little one got fed up and expressed its frustration by latching on to my finger. It didn't hurt though. Just a pinch. I didn't realize I was being bit until the light flashed on her head

This is NOT supposed to be a silly question, but the monitors WERE placed upside down, I presume? It may be easier with two people, one to hold whilst the other checks.....

My wife and I did the experiment. We held them on their backs and vertical.....no blood vessels.

I had to shine the light inside a closet, because it was the darkest area of my house. If I wait until night, they are underground in their burrows.

Not that easy then; maybe just try the close-up head shots... Perhaps the light just wasn`t strong enough...

Boo!

The problem with adult Ackies and the flashlight is that the tail dorsally has such thick, keratinized spiked scales that the light does not penetrate at all. Try glowing a small LED flashlight diagonally from the top to underside and gently press your fingers on the 'bulge' to see if a little red circle moves around. You will find that the red spots also are rammed right up against the vent when you're holding an Ackie against it's will. They are usually tight-muscled and ready to defecate or evert on you from the handling. When Ackies evert, it's very small and sort of sicle or crescent shaped. It's not the eversion a Savannah monitor has.

Personally, they look like two males to me just based on their heads and dorsal patterning. I hope I'm wrong.

Yeah, I realized that I joined this forum almost 3 years ago and have never posted even once until now.

LOL