No it's not the newest morph... this is a normal Speckled King.Note the neato pattern. This came from a double het project. I have produced quite a few Speckleds in the past few years and none looked like this. There was only a few normals in this clutch and one other looked a lot like this.
Albino Speckleds were initially thought to be from a zone where their range overlaps with Desert Kings. This Speck comes form a project with Albino in it...and these are the first ones I ever produced with the odd pattern.
The thing I am interested to know is how many people would be quick to jump on the side claiming this snake looks like this because it is a cross of two subspecies or do straight pure Speckleds sometimes look like this? I know what I think, let's hear what you think....
Tom Stevens
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Here's a snake to debate over
Replies (16)
aside from the aberrant head and neck region, it looks like it may have saddles, looking like a splendida, but that's where the similarities end, lol. Very cool snake Tom!
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Todd Hughes
I'm gonna gues that there is a little splendida in the family tree somewhere. But that is just a guess. When I lived in DFW, holobrooki I caught east of I-35 and especially east of I-45 had more of the classic "speckled" appearance as compared to the banded look of those further west. I attribute the banding to splendida influence. Anecdotal evidence at best, just my impression. On a personal note, I much prefer the eastern holbrooki with a more well defined speckling, almost 1 dot per scale, than those with banding.
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Greg Jackson
I love Specks, but I'm no expert. That pattern is impressive, (esp. considering it's from a Speck to Speck breeding) and definitely looks intergraded w/ splendida. Great looking snake & post, Tom.
reako45
Hey Tom, we used to encounter tons of specks in SW Louisiana. I've seen the chain pattern and the uniform 1-dot-per-scale pattern (very common where I'm from), but never the pattern you've got there. Very interesting.
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http://www.mikefoux.com
http://www.cafepress.com/shedz
1.2.0 Hondurans Het Amel
1.1.0 Hondurans Anery, Het Hypo
0.1.0 Honduran Hypo
0.1.0 Honduran Hypo, Het Anery
0.2.0 Pueblans
1.0.0 Pueblan Hypo
0.1.0 Corn Bloodred
0.0.1 GBK Blair's Phase
1.0.0 California King
0.1.0 California King Blue-eyed Blond
0.0.1 Speckled King WC
0.0.1 Jungle Carpet
0.1.0 Ball, Normal
1.0.0 San Diego Gopher, Poss. Het Applegate
0.0.1 Sulcata
0.1.0 Wife, Caucasius Mexicana
I personally hypothesize that the subspecies of mexican blacks, speckleds and splendida all diverged from a common ancestoral species. All species retain some genes in their DNA from ancestral heritage. Those genes just become "dormant" so to speak and don't display phenotypically. But every once in awhile, something will "awaken" those older dormant genes and they will re-appear. I think that's what's on display in this example.
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God Bless Evolution.
However, I collected a juvenile that looked a bit like that near the area of intergradation with nigra, near Reelfoot lake, TN, years ago...
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Brad Chambers
WWW.HCU-TX.ORG
The Avalanche has already started-it is too late for the pebbles to vote....
I would throw nigra in there as well, except for the eastern influence, more probable to me that nigra is the true intergrade with easterns and specks.
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Todd Hughes
>>I personally hypothesize that the subspecies of mexican blacks, speckleds and splendida all diverged from a common ancestoral species.
well they are they same species, so they have yet to diverge.
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Conservation through captive propagation
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LOL!
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Todd Hughes
couldnt have said better myself
,,,,,,,,,thomas
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Morphs... just like baseball cards BUT ALIVE, how cool is that???
my website www.barmollysplace.com
SWEET BROOKSI!!!! Post some pics when the PB sibblings decide to come out
Clearly this post goes with Tom's newest post, my bad
Tom,
That resembles the Checkered Holbrooki that I once owned alot...Mine was amel though....
And...It is amazing how prolific Splendida are...They will breed with everything that borders it range....Californiae, Nigritis, Nigra and Holbrooki...
I would really not like to see Splendida morphs crossed into Holbrooki morphs, but I am sure we soon will...
Todd Hughes and I live in an area that produce specimens that key out both Holbrooki and Splendida...Plus there are intermediates....
I / we know they intergrade for sure......
Even some of the speckled kings I have as well as some I see posted for sale.....have some crossbars....I hardly see any speckleds that have a speck on each scale anymore (evenly patterned)....
Great looking Holbrooki Tom......
Regards,
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John Lassiter
"Poor planning and procrastination on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part....."
Don't worry John, you will be seeing them this year!
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Todd Hughes
I have been watching that lone surviving female from Calhoun grow up, her cross bars separated into one dot per scale. At her belly line the dots are large and almost converge to the next scale but they turn to small dots the further up dorsally they go. Tom, keep that one and see what it turns into, or send it my way, I will raise it just to see what it becomes!
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Todd Hughes
on second look, I think that thing is gonna speckle up nicely and have a kick @$$ head pattern to boot, probably be a cream colored animal. Those ace of club clusters will spread out over the entire body, and I see lots of speckling in the first one third of the saddles, it will speckle out. Send it over!!!
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Todd Hughes
