That is all very interesting, Doug.

(1) Do you have any idea why some Cal kings start of looking black, but end up brown as adults?

(2) Is that black color truly black? It doesn't seem like it is because a baby hypo is brown, not grey.


To be quite honest, no, I don't really have any idea exactly why some seem initially black and then lighten more into a brown coloration. Something changes ontogenetically, but I don't know why or how.

I will say though that the xanthophore layer can have a lot to do with many brown tones as the light passes through and reflects back through this layer. also there are two distinct types of melanin that reptiles produce. This probably has a lot to do with what you are referring to in the Cal. kings.

Melanophores - contain mostly melanosomes and are capable of two forms of pigment production. Eumelanin is brown to black and pheomelanin is orange to rust or rusty brown.

Remember those links I posted a while back that explained many things regarding pigment cells and what they do?. Here is another VERY interesting and detailed link that explains TONS of it too. If people read through most of this and really think about what is being said, they can learn an aweful lot about this stuff even though many things will still never be understood.









pigments in reptiles


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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

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