Thanks for asking cuz I didn't say that correctly, did I?



Yes, the original albino corns were collected in the wild and even adult albino snakes are caught every year throughout the world. It's just that their looks are so unnatural, wild hatched albinos rarely see their first month b'day. I know you know this, Darin, but they're essentially wearing neon signs that say EAT ME! Therefore, what I meant to say is that the likelihood of an albino contributing to wild gene pools is so remote, it's not worth considering. Add to that the likelihood that an adult albino is breeding in the same woods as corns with other recessive or compatible genes and we have a nearly impossible scenario. Of course, carriers of those traits that don't exhibit the 'look' could be contributing. Unless they're found within a mile of a corn breeder, nobody should expect to catch a bazaar looking corn that is actually a morph unless it looks so close to a normal corn, it will have no trouble blending in with the local flora.



I had a neighbor the other day ask me what snake she had found in her garden. Gulp. Sounded like one of my corns. Of course, she sent it to headless heaven as quickly as she discovered it so I'll never know. I thought about doing some road hunting last year in Stephen Roylance's neighborhood since he lost so many awesome "unnatural" corns in Hurricane Charlie the year before. I hope he sees the humor in that since he is a dear friend and I meant no disrespect. Just pointing out that it's so rare for an albino or other color and pattern anomaly to survive to adulthood in the wild, we may as well say they don't exist outside our cages. Of course, some are so similar to nominate color/patterned corns, they do just fine. A person could easily collect two or three hundred anerythristic A corns in the wilds of Florida in just one season.



Darin, thanks for asking so I was able to clear up my exaggeration.



Don

www.cornsnake.NET
South Mountain Reptiles

[ Show Entire Thread ]