Reptile & Amphibian Forums

What do you guys think of this one??

A friend of mine though she looked different, so he picked her up for me at Daytona this year.. He asked about her, but the seller only had limited info on her..

~ Mike Russo

n/p

beautiful snake-but boy, hate to say it, Mike, but the "gestalt" says "thayeri" to me.... I could well be wrong. Was it sold as an alterna?
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Brad Chambers

The Avalanche has already started-it is too late for the pebbles to vote....

NO EYE STRIPE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOL..... must be thayeri.LOL... actually allot of mex mex have those hallowed out centers but its hard to say.Looks pretty much alterna to me.

Nice looking snake either way Mike,

L8r Shannon

Thanks Shannon,

I have a table at a show in PA this coming weekend. Ill get pick up some more cards for you and get them all out to you next week.

~ Mike Russo

Thanks Mike, I have never had the chance to get cards from that show and I am sure there are a few people that only do that show.That is such a great favor thanks very much.

Shannon

Hey Brad,

Yes, she was sold as straight up Alterna. I was hoping someone out there has somthing similar, because I have never seen one that looks like her. So, I am open to opinions on her.

Hope all is well!

~ Mike Russo

Doing great down here, Mike-though lately it's starting to get a little nippy here in SW TX-at least at night ...

It wasn't really the lack of eye stripe that I was talking about, but the "peachy" coloration and the band form. As I said, could be wrong on this one...
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Brad Chambers

The Avalanche has already started-it is too late for the pebbles to vote....

It looks to be pure alterna to me but it's obviously captive bred and many generations removed from the wild. Much in the same way that snowsnake85's "9-miler" looked alterna but had that diverent appearance that novelty-oriented captive breeding creates from wild phenotypes. When everyone holds back the most extreme specimens from any given clutch, it doesn't take long to start producing animals that have nothing in common phenotypically with their wild counterparts. It's human nature to be attracted to the rare and uncommon but it's always struck me as funny that some captive breeders breed for the extreme and then spend their time and money running around in the dark summer nights of west Texas hoping to have the opportunity to see a normal one.

Mike, to be completely honest, I would personally avoid animals like this. That being the fact that it's history is questionable and to top it off, it has an interesting look. I tend to jump the gun a little quickly thinking many oddballs are just hybrids (so there IS a strong bias there that I am acknowledging). I would have to say that this is no exception for me. This animal too, appears to be a hybrid to me. But like I said, for me, I would just avoid questionable animals altogether.

Take care,

Brad

Hi Brad,

Thanks for your input... I have been trying hard to build my locality groups. But, I do still have a few breeder generic alterna here and I sell their offspring as "generics" at local herp shows.

I bought this female sight unseen.. My friend called me from Daytona and described her as a cool looking proven breeder. The price was right so i told him to grab her. My friend was right she is a cool looking animal, but at the end of the day I tend to believe that you are correct.. I should avoid questionable animals..

In the future as i build up my locality stock i plan on selling off the few generics that i have left..

Again, thanks for your thoughts!

~ Mike Russo