Hi Elizabeth,....

Well, that specimen could very well be a genuine Apalachicola "goini", aka Blotched kingsnake. They can be EXTREMELY variable and come in a plethora of different phenotypes(outward visual looks). Clutches can also contain hatchlings that have very different patterns too, as well as even the shades of colors. And at the same time, several common kingsnake crosses in the hobby can also produce snakes that tend to look very similar to that too. The name "goini" has been technically changed rently to "meansi" (2006), and is basically a patternless form of goini found more in the center of the range where both might occur in the panhandle portion of Liberty and Franklin County.

Don't feel all alone if you are very confused..LOL!, they are an extremely variable looking kingsnake that can be very problematic to begin with. It does indeed look like a "Blotched king", "Apalachicola Lowland king", "goini", "meansi", "Chipola River kingsnake", all of which are basically the very same thing. Many people in the hobby refer to them simply as goini or Blotched king anyway. They can also have huge variations of random blotches,broken striping, i.e. a mosaic-type look etc...Many hatchlings from the very same clutch can contain offspring that are all different from each other too, this is quite common. Also, combinations of floridana, getula, and goini can also look very much like that too when crossed of different percentages.

It looks real nice, so post a bigger pic when possible, enjoy it, and welcome to the forum!..



cheers, ~Doug
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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

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