Posted by:
kw53
at Mon Jul 28 09:09:32 2003 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by kw53 ]
a color phase of the Common King which currently has its own supspecific epithet, Lampropeltis getulus nigritis. The splitters are rampant these days, and they may succeed in elevating it to species status, but I still say it's a population morph. Some start life totally black and stay that way, others start out looking like the so-called "Desert Kingsnake" phase, and lose most or all of their yellow as they age. Nigritis kings are widely bred in captivity and available most of the time--cb animals are usually beautiful jet black. I call them the poor man's Indigo. I've owned them and bred them--they are great snakes and economical. Breeders in the West sell them as low as ten dollars for a hatchling (they are less easy to sell in the West, for some reason). Back East, breeders usually charge more.
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RE: Mexican Black Kingsnake is.... - kw53, Mon Jul 28 09:09:32 2003