Well, I can't tell what anyone is thinking but....
The founding animals from my line come from Rich Z and Don S. Rich's do not have the same strange pattern mine do, an the only outcrossing that has been done is into a Hypo Miami from SMR. Keep in mind only the homozygous animals have this strange pattern and all the full siblings have completely normal corn markings. Also depending on which hets I pair together either all or none of the homozygous "Z" animals have this pattern. So far the pattern is behaving like a simple recessive that is linked to Z somehow, but it is too early to tell.
I'll be the first to admit they look a lot like emoryis, and like I've heard it put very well before, I'm not "allergic" to the idea that they may be. However, when you put the peices together that option just doesn't make sense.
1. Both founding animals came from reputable sources.
2. None of the parents show anything like this patterning. Think of creamsicles for example, they are a known cross and we've never seen patterning such as this in creams, even those with high concentration of emoryi blood. As they get outcrossed, they look more and more like corns. Why, if mine had emoryi blood, would they look more and more emoryi like the more I outcrossed? It's been shown it just doesn't work that way.
3. When this pattern occurs in a clutch, it is an all or nothing trait. Hatchlings have either normal pattern or this really strange pattern, no inbetween. You don't get such cut and dry differences when you are dealing with a clutch of hybrids or intergrades. Also the fact that it only occurs is homozygous Z animals makes me think it could be a gene that has been present in corns all along and just doesn't "activate" without the other gene's presence. Then again, this is such a small pool of animals it could be complete coincidence.
4. My F1 stock has the most brilliantly red coloration you have ever seen on a corn. I've never seen anything close to red come out of emoryi cross animals, even when outcrossed several generations. So if they are crosses, and they have just been outcrossed many generations to regain that red coloration, how in the heck would I recover that pattern so cleanly when it has done nothing but dilute in the past?
5. Z animals have been tested against Charcoal and Anery A and normals hatchlings resulted. It is also proven to be simple recessive (the coloration, not the pattern). It's a new gene and I can't think of any other ratsnake that has a simple recessive gene that behaves the same. Grey hatchings change with age and either end up with burgundy saddles or grey saddles with a burgundy base. Not to often is "hybrid" a simple recessive trait.

I'll have to get some pics of some "normal" Z's and the normal non-homozygous siblings. The look is pure corn. I don't mind that people think that. I am still amazed at the similarities and have thought about it very much with a very open mind. However, it just doesn't make sense and the history of the animals can be traced back quite awhile.

If you ask me "Ultra" has a much stronger case for originating in a Hybrid and has a very shady past, but for some reason everyone wants to sweep that one under the rug. *shrug*

Here is a picture of the mother that produced the two younger animals pictured in the previous post. Ever see a Root Beer that red?

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Carol Huddleston
www.lowbellyreptiles.com

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