Because the Mexican gopher tortoises have their reproductive organs enclosed within their bodies and they all look the same, it can be difficult to tell their gender without certain skills. But as long as you understand the mating posture of the Mexican gopher tortoise, you can tell the difference.

Mexico gopher tortoise adopts the male and female posture when mating , In order to avoid slipping off the female turtle's shell during mating, the male turtle's plastron is slightly concave, just enough to catch the female turtle's protruding back shell; but the female turtle does not need this structure, so the plastron is flat. Just turn the Mexican gopher tortoise over and touch the width of the plastron with your fingers, and you can quickly tell a male from a female.