Reptile & Amphibian Forums

OK, here's 2 of my Cal Kings. The male was a Banana het Chocolate and the female was a regular Black n White banded. The snakes have a yellow tint in the pic, but in person they look white? The flash is altering the color but is the yellow tint possibly from the males banana yellow influence?

Tom Stevens
-----
TomsSnakes.com

"het for Chocolate"...I am assuming you mean het for hypermelanistic.

They do not look like they will be white as adults. IMO they will turn into a yellow-cream as they get older.

Kerby...
-----
Lonesome Valley Reptiles
www.lonesomevalleyreptiles.com
Specializing In California Kingsnakes

.
-----
TomsSnakes.com

While it is not simple genetics, I believe yellow in the cream is somewhat dominant and difficult to breed out if it is there. The yellow is not often present when they hatch, but can become vivid in a matter of a few sheds.

Putting a cal king that visually looks like it has white bands next to one that really has white bands often reveals the yellow in the bands.

I've also noticed that light effects how visual the yellow is - and I have one cal king that changes color to some degree - not a fast change, but sometimes her cream is really yellow and sometimes it is a pale yellow, I'm not sure why.
-----
11.14 L. getula californiae (Cal. King)
2.3 L. getula nigrita (MBK)
1.0 L. getula floridana (Brooksi)
1.0 Pantherophis guttatus guttatus (Corn)
0.1 Pituophis catenifer catenifer (Pacific gopher)
4.2 Elgaria multicarinata multicarinata - 14 eggs (Cal. Alligator Lizard)

Female knoblichi get very noticably darker and "muddy" when they're gravid. The next shed after they lay their eggs they go back to normal.