It is an interesting question... sadly I've never given a moments thought to why the various turtles with spots have them... spotted salamanders secrete a toxin from their bodies when alarmed (as do all the mole salamanders) so the spots and brightly colored blotches/bars on them may serve as a "warning" coloration.

I can't think of a single snake that is as obviously brightly spotted as the turtles and salamanders but some that could be called spotted come to mind... hognose, brown snakes, bullsnakes and garters to name a few... perhaps something in the scale structure simply doesn't allow for pigmentation that would produce "true" spots.

What I do know is that this question will be stuck in my head until I can find or think of a plausible answer... thank you very much!

Gerry

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