Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I've noticed some very interesting snakes produced recently with the Spider gene.

First we have the Spider/Pied -- all white with a faded, spider-ish patterned head. Not what I would have expected. How about you?

Next, we have this: http://forums.kingsnake.com/view.php?id=1189578,1189578 A very light patterned snake that hatched with other normal looking balls. You have to ask yourself, why? The light snake doesn't necessarily LOOK like it would be more than a light colored normal, but you never know - it could be carrying some odd genes within it that won't truly be appreciated until it's bred with another like itself or some other morphs.

Then we have my truly unexpected experience -- I bred a spider male to a slightly odd looking female and produced a paradox normal. Looks like a normal but with black smudging in the pattern. I'm hoping to prove it genetic ( I know -- this would fly in the face of the usual paradox results -- but time will tell.)

What this is suggesting to me is that there could be more going on with the Spider gene than we, as breeders, are giving it credit for. Could some Spiders carry "transitional genes" that cause new mutuations?

Your thoughts?

Best Regards,
Python Joe.

I don't think so -- if there were anything special with Spiders I'm fairly confident that a certain EvilMorphGod would have found it by now. I have a feeling that the all or most of the pattern morphs mixed with pied will end up with mostly white snakes - but that's my theory and I ain't got a clue. Also the mom to the one in the link was also bred to a pastel - the light genes could have come from any of the snakes or just be a fluke.

Who knows maybe there is something the unholy ruler of the underworld hasn't told us.
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Tosha

I'm sure that there is a certain evil morph god up in Plaistow just grinning wickedly at the mere notion that he has shared everything with us.

Hey,

I agree with you on this one- I hatched out a female with heavy moustaching- black stripes below her labial pits on her top jaw- as a spider sibling. They are still my favorite morph!

Steve Harrison

The amount of white in a Pied depends on the time of gestation that the mutation occurs, earlier makes more white later makes less. I guess the introduction of the spider gene makes the pied mutation occur earlier than it normally would????
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Thanks Vinnie Caruso
opinons are like a--holes... everybody has one and they all stink

Do they all look like the first one did? I only saw the first so if there aren't any more I don't see why we should assume it wasn't a fluke. If there are more like that could someone tell me where I could see one?
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"yeah, eagles have feathers hanging off of them too and I don't smoke --- out of them!" PS it was a dream catcher!

I am wondering where you came up with this theory. The mutation is in the genes and does not occur during incubation (not gestation{livebearers}). If you have proof that I am wrong, please provide references to educate me.

Think about it this way....

Spiders are pretty much one of the most genetically diverse morphs within private ball python collections.

Spiders are almost NEVER inbred. Think about it this way, there have been hardly any Spider X Spider clutches, much less Brother X Sister, Mother X Son, or Father X Daughter. What this means is that this Morph has never been "cleaned" up by line inbreeding, and is therefore with all the outcrossing (Spider x Normal female you bought at Petco) genetically much more variable throughout the line than pretty much any other morph, except maybe Pastels since so many lines have been imported and crossed.

Also, with all the Bee's out there being produced that in and of itself adds alot of variability( Thanks Satan ).

Hope this helps, just seems to me to be a better reason for all this variability coming out of all the Spider lines, and goodluck with all the projects!

-Dan