Posted by:
ratsnakehaven
at Wed Dec 23 14:44:42 2009 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by ratsnakehaven ]
>>"Yeah, sure their locality snakes...just don't know which;p"
>>
>>I find the "blonde" especially appealing.
Well, that was part of the point. There are locality snakes out there, but finding them is something else too. I don't think most true locality enthusiasts will buy just anything based on the seller saying it's a locality snake. I would hope locality buyers want to find something special, something where they had in mind what it looks like and what that locality animal is all about. Otherwise, sellers are just labeling all their snakes "locality" just to raise the prices up.
In the case of the Chinese twinspots the locality snakes are rare, because snakes aren't i.d.'ed when they are imported. Nobody knows exactly where they're from. So much more could be learned from them if we did have that info. So all the bimacs are sold as generic. You just have to keep an eye out for fresh imports or a really distinct "look," if you want to have a chance at anything close to a locality morph.
Many of the snakes in the U. S. are also hard to find as a "locality" animal, usually because all the U. S. stock comes from just a few snakes, or because they've been crossbred so many times. Take for instance the variable kingsnake, Lampropeltis mexicana thayeri. It's no wonder some folks are so hot to have locality snakes like the graybanded king, L. alterna.
I might add that not all snakes are desireable as locality snakes. For instance, I saw a thread a ways back about desert kings, L. getula splendida, and what we thought was the best look, or whatever. I didn't feel I had anything to add to that thread at the time, but if I did it would have been that I would look for the most representative form, probably from near the middle of their range, as the best look. Of course, I also breed "locality" splendida...LOL!
Sorry for rambling so much, but I know you're a glutton for punishment...heheh!
Happy Holidays...TC
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RE: Elaphe bimaculata..notes on localities.. - ratsnakehaven, Wed Dec 23 14:44:42 2009