I have lived all over Texas over the years. I have collected since I was about eight years old and am now 41.

I used to have a good friend back in the day that got snakes from all over and sold them to Crutchfield. So I have been lucky enough to have seen a few more snakes than most people.

I am not totaly against hybrids as an expiment and there has been some good information learned through doing this. But, I tend to like to keep locality stuff or at least pure blooded anyway.

I have seen a few snakes in the intergrade zone between speckleds and deserts in North Central TX that I know had that yellow under the black. I am not saying it is comon by any means as I have seen hundreds of getulus from TX mind you. But I know that yellow you have is pure blood and not a far flung hybrid. That is all I mean to say there.

I have caught one that had an orange/yellow belly (way more orange than yellow). It was a three foot male so this was not a hatchling or juv. color. It had the sort of raised scales you mentioned and had yellow under the black.

I think if your snake was not an albino most people would miss what it is. They would see a brown snake that is not as light as a hypo and just not as jet black as they like. Who knows how many regulars like this got missed/passed up? I know it is a very rare tyrait though so I am not saying it is comon. Eric

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