Roswell thoughts and clarifications:



I made a follow up post to a thread where Heather Martin was showing a couple of her babies. I guess that sort of hijacked the thread, though the topic certainly didn't change completely. So I figured I'd start a new one here.



First; I started out the thread suggesting that the Roswells are actually another form of Motley. Apparently a lot of people missed the later statement where I declared that I didn't think that the Roswell was a Motley at all. That seemed to have gotten lost with the initial suggestion that they might be the same mutation. What I actually wrote within that post was, "I think the Roswells are another form of Motley Boa." But then, as if I was thinking it through while I wrote, I said, "The Central American Motleys are different from the Colombian Motleys and the Surinam Motleys are different from both." But then I continued, "OK, so it doesn't make a more or less utterly patternless "Super"." Followed by what I really think; "So it can't be a Motley. Great! That’s perfectly fine with me. It makes something that in my view is far better than a Super Motley." And this precisely because the Super Roswell is not a patternless animal like the Super Motley is. Hopefully that makes sense.

At least I don't think the Roswell is a super Motley and should not be categorized as such. The biggest difference in the Super Roswell and the Super Motley is the obvious pattern differences. The several other differences can also be seen in the offspring that Heather has been blessed with. They have been huge robust critters without a seemingly different narrower head or the other characteristics we know about super Motleys. So Roswells are a mutation unto themselves. At least that is my take on it. Which brings me to a couple other thoughts.

Motleys do not ALWAYS make a "perfect Motley". In fact many Motleys do not have a connecting pattern going all the way. In fact, some don't really connect very well at all. It's a matter of degrees. The Roswells will probably do the exact same thing. Some single dose critters will have patterns that leave some subjectivity to the observer as to if it is a Roswell carrier or not. In fact the first Super Roswells had full striping with just one little ring up by the head correct Heather? The second litter had some Super Roswells that had this fully striped pattern while some had a number of saddles going down the body, but that distinct Roswell look was still there.

One other thing worth a mention is this. Since we now suspect that there is a possibility that for some bazaar reason the Motley and Hypo genes may be located in the same position limiting or at least complicating the production of Motley X Hypo multiple mutant critters, this makes the Roswell project just that much more interesting and promising. Hypo Roswells are going to be very cool. How about a Sunglow Roswell!!! I am getting nervous thinking about that one!

Here is one other little teeny tiny question: Have we seen this before? The Boa below is the Striated Boa which was owned by Mike Wilbanks and Bob Clark. They purchased this Colombian Boa as in import in 2002. Unfortunately this little guy died before he was able to reveal any of his genetic secrets. Those secrets remained secret and died with him. I can't tell you the time I have spent looking at this animal wondering what a single dose Striated Boa might look like. This was my going on the assumption that he was actually a "super" form. What could his offspring look like? We of course will never know.



Note how though he was completely striped down to the tail, the side blotches were not so. Some smearing for sure, but not completely connecting like a Motley, or at least a "perfect" Motley would be.



Would have, could have, should have. It's interesting and great fun to sort of try to think some of these things through isn't it?



Anyhow, the future of the Roswell is very bright and the possibilities are wonderful. Now the questions are what to breed with what to get someplace really cool and make the most interesting critters possible!

I've asked this before, will somebody pinch me!?!?
-----
Boaphile Home
All Original/Boaphile Plastics
Boaphile Photo Gallery

[ Show Entire Thread ]