Posted by:
ratsnakehaven
at Fri Sep 9 16:05:59 2005 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by ratsnakehaven ]
>>Unfortunately, it seems that most of the knowledge about the species resides in Japan. I'm particularly interested in breeding results.
>>
I think there's considerable knowledge of them around. Schulz' monograph of the Elaphe probably has the most info of the literature. I think they may have been bred in the U.S. before too. I know they've been offered for sale before. They haven't been very popular for one reason or another, so most breeders don't keep them. Many of the Eurasian ratsnakes have had popularity problems.
>>The melanistic specimens are born melanistic, and the striped specimens are born blotched. From all I've learned about the phases, it seems that the melanistic specimens are just as likely to survive as their blotched siblings.
>>Shane
I didn't know that. Maybe the melanism is a recessive gene. I know the species is highly variable in color/pattern and size. It's a very interesting species and I would compare it to the King ratsnake, Elaphe carinata. It seems to have a number of characteristics of the ancestral Elaphe. Do you know much about the behavior? I think they are probably quite racer-like, similar to carinata. Anyway, keep us posted if you learn more or get more pics. Thanks for some awesome shots, btw...
Terry
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Great photos... - ratsnakehaven, Fri Sep 9 16:05:59 2005