"How many LA Pines have you seen in the wild? I have never seen one in the wild. I have never been to Louisiana."



Neither have I. How I picture Louisiana Pine Snakes is based entirely on literature, and how I remember them before they started to "change".



"I have seen a handful of wild caught LA Pines and they all were highly variable in color and pattern. All of the breeders I know hold back the best looking, most colorful, weird patterned, babies for future breeders. After generations of selective breeding the animals start to look different than the original wild types. This does not mean they are morphs just simply above average colored or patterned individuals. This has been happening for many many years with many different species. Its a product of selective breeding. The same thing is happening with LA Pines."



Sure that would be a reasonable enough possibility, if it didn't seem like it all happened overnight. How many generations would it take to turn a rather drab, brownish colored unremarkable looking snake into a bright yellow or reddish colored one? Especially considering the relatively slow reproductive rate that is typical for this species? In my mind it would take decades to accomplish this.



"Every year I hold back the best looking animals I produce for future breeders. So why would it be hard to believe that more colorful or weird patterned animals would start popping up?"



Actually, it isn't that hard to believe at all. Really, I want to believe this, I want them to be Louisiana Pine Snakes, so I can put the species back on my wishlist. I want to believe in God and Santa Claus too. But I can't. It's just that the alternative scenario is by far more plausible.

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