Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi,
I pretty much have an idea about how important locality is for alternas. If I was trying to get information from a locality Alterna I just received from a breeder, what kind of important information do I need to gather so that when I sell the parent's babies later on I would have to have background knowledge of the bloodline. What kind of questions would you ask? Any help or tips appreciated!

~Tony
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You can never have only one snake!

Or for another example, the information or data I need to get on the recommended alterna breeders list.
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You can never have only one snake!

1. Is the animal locality?
2. If so, where did the parents come from? WC or Captive?
3. How many generations removed from WC are they? Meaning F1, F2, F3.
4. Can the breeder verify lineage if the parents are CB.
5. If the animals you purchased are WC, are the collectors reputable? Did someone witness the catch? Were photos taken? Were they collected legally? When were they collected?
6. Does the parents prefer mice or lizards?

Best Wishes,

Steven

It all depends on the individual and what a buyer so to speak would want. For example A snake can be a Val Verde county locality (although this is not common practice) if it a cross between a langtry and a 277. The snake could be just a 277 if it a cross between a Red Bluff and a Mail Trail, or the snake can be a gas station if it is from parents caught right at Loma Alta.

Generally Alterna enthusiasts would want to stick to lines of localities which are identified a being close enough for the original wild caught parents to have been able to have bred together in the wild. Some people believe this is a few miles and some people believe they need to have been found within a few feet of each other, and some people believe they need to be found in the same place and the same season. Whatever it is that you feel comfortable with is really the key. A locality animal to some people is a generic to others, but that is the fun of it, it can be very specific or it can be somewhat general when it comes to locality graybands.

This was really helpful Jim! I actually didn't know about this. As far as I'm concerned, it wouldn't matter if they were 9 miles apart or so but the closer the better! Thanks.

~Tony
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You can never have only one snake!

Hey thanks Steve for the list. Now I know how to confirm data.

~Tony
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You can never have only one snake!