Reptile & Amphibian Forums

This male was wild caught in Georgia in the early 90's. It resides at the NC Museum of Natural Science where I work as the Living Collections herpetologist. There have been many debates as to the purity of amel getula on the market but here is an example of a wild caught individual who is not part of any breeding / profit making plan (not that there is anything wrong with breeding/selling offspring, I do this as a hobby myself). In the near future I would like to have a temporary exhibit showcasing this animal alongside a wild type getula.

Just make sure that the albino is housed with an oppisite sex wildtype for the display, preferably in the spring after a good brumation

Vinny
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“There is a grandeur in this view of life, with its several powers, having been originally breathed into a few forms or into one; and that whilst this planet has gone on cycling according to the fixed laws of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being, evolved.” -C. Darwin, 1859

Natural Selection Reptiles

What county was it found in? It looks like an intergrade from northwestern GA.

DeKalb County

Bingo...Intergrade. we have a loser...lol

I never realized the Eastern / Black intergrade zone went that far east. How far does it extend into Georgia?

Thanks for the info.

I see it as just outside the intergrade zone. But more over, snakes cant read. They dont care what ssp. they are. Why do WE? You just want the gene to work with right? Do you want to breed it to something else to create your own? Now I will agree that purity in name makes babies more saleable. But that snake looks like it has fewer and better bands than the albino chains I am working with. The older version,while contreversial, has been outbred several generations now. I dont think the asterisk applies because we are dealing with morphs after all. Phil, didnt mean to rant under your post, this is just the last one I was reading. Jeff

I'm not trying to rain on anyone's parade, but the intergrade zone extends at least one county farther east than DeKalb (I think. I'm away from home right now and can't really check.), at least, according to Blaney (1977). But, the reduced pattern is the real giveaway on intergrades, especially from that part of Georgia-Thin bands that do not connect as chains. Couple that with the county (if the county is valid), and you have an intergrade. I believe the other strain was an intergrade also, but has been bred to pure Easterns for so long that the current offspring look more mainstream (hence the snakes Jeff refers to in his post below). This probably only matters to purists, and certainly not to people like Rainer. lol Anyway, all this is covered in my upcoming getula book. Hope thet heps.

Brian Hubbs

it's a naturally occurring intergrade, so no, it doesn't rain on anyone's parade. If it were to be bred to another snake from the same locality, even the most purist stickler's won't have anything to moan about. (my opinion).
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Herp Conservation Unlimited
Mexicana Group Directory
Photography by Joseph E. Forks
Captive Bred Locality Matched Desert Kingsnakes

Just two cents from a lame east coaster but the "most purist stickler's" are usually the ones moaning about things.

but if they want to moan about a locality pairing then we'd better offer them some cheese to go with the whine...
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Herp Conservation Unlimited
Mexicana Group Directory
Photography by Joseph E. Forks
Captive Bred Locality Matched Desert Kingsnakes

This male doesn't have a bright future as a breeder as our need for exhibit or program getula can easily be satisfied with c/b NC specimens. I wanted to show an example of an amel animal whose purity (or lack thereof) was not a product of captive breeding. Debating all the different scientific and captive care aspects of reptiles is fun and educational, or at least it helps break the monotony of cleaning cages!

Here are two pics of a w/c NC amel A. piscivorus, another animal that will be displayed sometime in the near future.

Phil,
I understand that the snake will not be bred, and surely thank you for sharing the photos.

That snake, being WC with locality, is of course a pure product of it's environment. That is pretty much the point of me offering my opinion. Folks want to attach a negative connotation to the term "intergrade". In some captive situations the negative connotation may be warranted, but there is surely nothing negative about that snake, regardless of whether or not that population has any Black King blood.
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Herp Conservation Unlimited
Mexicana Group Directory
Photography by Joseph E. Forks
Captive Bred Locality Matched Desert Kingsnakes

That is a beautiful animal. Where did you find it?

This probably only matters to purists, and certainly not to people like Rainer. lol Anyway, all this is covered in my upcoming getula book.

ok ya got me as im a big time lumper especially when it comes to the getula group. is this the only tidbit you will offer the forum? saying a dekalb cy. animal is an intergrade like lgg and lg.nigra are THAT differant from that range... more please
also when is the getula book gonna be availible for the common folk?,,,,,,,,,thomas davis

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Morphs... just like baseball cards BUT ALIVE, how cool is that???

my website www.barmollysplace.com

OK, here's my last post on the subject. Blaney was correct on most things, and possibly incorrect on some things. Wow, I amaze myself sometimes with my flair for wishy-washyness. Anyway, I really don't know if all of Blaneys intergrade range is correct or not. Intergrades are a judgement call in some respects. I consider the snakes that look like that to be intergrades. I have seen them in Fayette county, GA. That's as far as my expertise goes, and I have to rely on the opinions of other people for the "rest of the story." Peace. The book might be ready by april or may. I could use a few good sticticeps pics...hint, hint.

Hey Brian,
Howz' about releasing the King Sanke, and Milk Snake books in hardback and reissuing the Mountain King book in hardback. Hint...Hint....
-Phil
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Work is the curse
of the drinking class!

Blaney concluded that the majority of what is now considered to the be the range of pure Floridana, to be an intergrade zone. He also concluded that interades found in Jacksonville/Osceola NF were pure Floridana. I hope the rest of his description of Getula was better than that...

Nick Mesa

Trust me, Grasshopper. I know what I think is true. I have abundant annecdotal "proof." lol

Oh, he needs a friend!
I agree with Vinny, one of the opposite sex. You might want to have a couple of them and change them out (if the amel is a male) so the display isn't too static.
Andy

Sweet.

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Mike
KingPin Reptiles Inc.
www.kingpinreptiles.com

pretty cool shame its genetics arent being brought into the hobby,,,,,,,,,thomas
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Morphs... just like baseball cards BUT ALIVE, how cool is that???

my website www.barmollysplace.com

Phil, Very nice.

How are the Corn snakes I sent to you doing? Are they on display yet?
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ECC
www.eastcoastcolubrids.com

Home of TEAM ECC
It's an Inner Circle thing... you wouldn't understand...

Why not show up at work with a cycled girl for him and see what happens?? Of course supervised, but I wouldnt think it to be that contreversial.....just say he has gone 10 years without companionship and most would be understanding....

Museums are always in need of funds, no?
Why not breed him with a locality female to help offset the cost?
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