Good article. It says just about everything that needs to be said about this form.

All the herp magazines and books I read as a kid gave me the perception that the Everglades rat snake no longer existed in the wild. Imagine my surprise when I found picture perfect orange Everglades rat snakes on my first few visits.

After finding hundreds of examples in the wild, and reading accounts from the 40s and 50s (including the original description by Neill), I've come to the conclusion that the majority of rat snakes from the south of Lake Okeechobee down to the Homestead/Florida City area still fall within the given characteristics for rossalleni.

This doesn't mean we shouldn't breed for the best possible orange examples. We should just stop worrying about whether a little black on the tongue or a more orange-yellow coloration are indications that we may not have a "pure" Everglades rat.
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