[The Brazos Island name is just to identify meahllmorums actually coming from Brazos. I've seen a couple Brazos rat snakes that weren't as nice as the Nueces County ones. Kind of like Okeetee corns. Not all true Okeetee corns are the nice colored ones we commonly think of. I've read and heard the meahllmorums on Brazos Island are quite variable. It has also been discussed some of it comes from the varability in incubation temps the eggs are exposed to in the Brazos Island habitat.]



Thanks, Terry.



Exactly right, the name Brazos Island Ratsnakes identifies snakes coming from Brazos Island. I imagine there are other places nearby that have the same phenotype.



They are a lot like Okeetees, too. I don't know exactly how much variation they have, but I've seen some that are very dark and some that are very light. The idea some of the variation comes from incubation temps is interesting. That should be a variable that could be replicated in captivity to find out how much it works.





[ I'm breeding one of the Nueces County meahllmorums on loan from Dave to a male whose parents are a female Hebbronville and a male Freer. The meahllmorums are variable and I hope to take the looks of these and see if it produces a nice phenotype I like. Of course some of the variability in meahllmorums comes from the integration to emoryi in the northern range of the meahllmorums. I think the integration zone is still somewhat ambiguous. Thanks for the post and sharing the pics.]



That's kinda what I was talking about when I said I'd probably work with a generic meahllmorum too. Nueces Co. has some very pretty meahllmorum, as does the Freer/Hebbronville area. I suspect that mixing different localities for the nicest phenotypes will produce an outstanding color/pattern morph. I believe meahllmorum has a range in s. TX that has pure meahllmorum. The intergradation zone is very large, but can be avoided, unless one is doing a generic Great Plains rat too. Also, meahllmorum from s. TX tend to have blotches that break up, and result in striping. The reverse-striped morph is very interesting too.



I've posted this one before that is tending towards striping...



Thanks for your input and hope all your babies turn out great. Don't forget to post pics when you get them and let me know in case I want to get a pair, haha.



TC




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Ratsnake Haven: Calico and albino Chinese stripe-tailed ratsnakes, Mandarin ratsnakes, Chinese twin-spotted ratsnakes, South Korean Dione's ratsnake, Great Plains rats and corn snakes

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