I have never seen work done with these snakes, I would imagine since these color changes are genetic it is highly likely the neonates as they mature will change color. with certain breedings I have seen with colors and patterns that are very different ( IE retics burms ) The F1 are very different in appearance from the parent species but if they are bred back to one of the parent forms used. for example a 3/4 retic 1/4 burms more closely resemble retics and vise versa but a ball/borneo to a ball/borneo creates a snake very different to the F1 hybrid. Things to consider when hybridizing colubrids besides color and pattern are skeletal systematic's and forms of feeding strategies for example is Spalerosophis atriceps a constricting type of snake? I ask because if you bred a N. Black racer to a black rat snake and got viable offspring the babies may be deformed due to the major difference in skeletal and musculature in these snakes. I believe most colubrids can be hybridized according to these systems, I don't think racers and rat snakes would make viable or more like (survivable offspring) because of this difference in their internal makeup which in my opinion would cause lethal anomalies when mixed. I do believe that a snake that changes colors as it matures will have an impact on the adult coloration of the adult hybrid, most F1 hybrids in my experiences have a major color and pattern difference if the adults look very different from one another, but if similar (IE burm/rock) the neonates look similar to one or the other of the adults, this being due to the fact they (the parents) where already similar in appearance. If you use the example of the intergrade of the yellow and black rat snake, you get a "greenish looking adult rat snake" that undergoes changes from neonate to an adult just like a reg yellow or black rat snake changes colors. So this also makes me believe color changes would occur in the growing hybrid.
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Frank Roberts

[ Hide Replies ]

• new guy - nydon, Sun Nov 19 04:45:00 2006
• very interesting question.... - FRoberts, Sun Nov 19 14:22:43 2006
• RE: very interesting question.... - nydon, Mon Nov 20 04:06:48 2006
• NO WAY - bluemike, Tue Nov 21 11:10:54 2006
• RE: NO WAY - nydon, Tue Nov 21 12:30:43 2006
• RE: new guy - Horridus, Mon Nov 20 10:38:31 2006
• RE: new guy - nydon, Tue Nov 21 05:02:15 2006
• RE: new guy - chris_harper2, Wed Nov 22 12:41:05 2006
• Oxycephala/janseni (Oxyjansen) hybrids! - c&f, Wed Nov 22 18:49:18 2006
• link to ratsnake forum - c&f, Wed Nov 22 19:08:19 2006
• RE: Oxycephala/janseni (Oxyjansen) hybrids! - Horridus, Thu Nov 23 08:28:00 2006
• RE: Oxycephala/janseni (Oxyjansen) hybri - chris_harper2, Thu Nov 23 09:23:47 2006
• RE: Oxycephala/janseni (Oxyjansen) hybri - Horridus, Fri Nov 24 09:07:50 2006
• RE: Oxycephala/janseni (Oxyjansen) hybri - chris_harper2, Fri Nov 24 09:14:30 2006