Posted by:
DMong
at Thu Aug 20 02:01:21 2009 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by DMong ]
Hmm,...yes, I've heard all of those comparisons too, but I'm not so sure I would invest too much trust in them. As you surely know, individuals of MANY types of snakes can, and do look very different from one another, even within the same clutch, and even head and body features too. And like I said before, meristic-wise they are virtually identical as well.
Unless a Black Rat is collected a FAR distance from Texas, many authorities would consider them basically to be not much more than a clinal variant of sorts. I can honestly say that with many specimens I have seen I can often detect notable traits of either/or in both as well, at least with many that is.
The orange/yellow skin between the scales is something often seen in many "so-called" Black Rats. I have owned Black Rats in the past that were absolutely SOLID black, without a single dorsal scale being anything other than black, the skin too. These were very likely from lineages far to the northeast.
Additionally, that very same "Texas" Rat in my photo has gone on to develop more yellow beige in her coloration, especially on her head as she has matured. I'm not real sure what to make out of any of it either. In my opinion, with the exception of the ones well to the east of Texas/Oklahoma, etc.. there probably isn't a whole lot of difference in them anyway. Again, this is all debatable, and has been re-hashed many times by many people.
Oh well,...I guess I'm done babbling about it..LOL!
Anyhow, enjoy the nice white snakes you will be producing, whatever they may be!
best regards, ~Doug
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"Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!"
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RE: leucistic black rats.....???? - DMong, Thu Aug 20 02:01:21 2009