Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I know this will seem like a very basic question to many, but I am curious. What do the numbers mean that are posted next to some snakes in the classifieds? For instance there are two different king snakes that have the numbers #12M by them. Another king snake has #1-1C. Do these identify the snake in some way?

Dave
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One man with faith equals the majority.
Thomas Jefferson

Many breeders assign numbers or a code to identify each individual snake they produce. There is no "set way" to do this, therefore some breeders use letters like M or F to designate male or female.

Tim

Third Eye

Tim,

Is that snake pictured a MBK ?

It is a beautiful snake.

I love any all black or all white snakes!

>>Many breeders assign numbers or a code to identify each individual snake they produce. There is no "set way" to do this, therefore some breeders use letters like M or F to designate male or female.
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>>Tim
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>>Third Eye
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Roberts Realm Of Reptile Research
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Thanks,

I opened my mouth and out flowed a melody black.

Yes, it's an MBK that hatched out this year. They're probably my favorite king, not only because they're all black, but also because they're much less "bitey" than other common kings.

Tim

Yes, as Tim mentioned, it is simply a person's method of keeping track of individual snakes and/or bloodlines.

Although the letter "F" often refers to a female in this particular case, it shouldn't be confused with the usage of the common term "F-1, or F-2, etc...used in herpetoculture, as this refers to the filial(original generation), and the numbers that follow the "F" refer to the following, or successive generation(s) of offspring. The definition is as follows.

Filial.....A generation in a breeding experiment that is successive to a mating between parents of two distinctively different but usually relatively pure genotypes.

~Doug
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"Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!"

Thanks to Tim and Doug for their usual great answers. You two seem to be the first to help me and others and I appreciate it.

Dave
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One man with faith equals the majority.
Thomas Jefferson