Thanks for the comments Terry. I responded to jtclark's post on this thread concerning a little of what you mention. I think the burnt orange or orange body color is to absorb heat for warmth. The Mexican bairds and Davis Mountain Texas bairds live in higher elevations than some of the other baird populations. They still inhabit crevices in rocky areas. The grey head would allow them to still pop out their head to strike and grab their prey in addition to keeping them hidden from predators. The camouflaged head might give them that extra split second to brab prey. The burnt orange or orange color and darker gray in the case of the Davis Mountain area Texas bairds would give them some added warmth in higher elevation areas. The entire body has this trait to fully utilize the warmth it can provide. You are correct in collecting and reviewing a lot of natural history to provide data and support of their phenotype colors, patterns, and transition they go through from babies to adults.



Terry Parks

[ Show Entire Thread ]