Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi everyone my husband and I picked up a little kingsnake. She is a florida and speckled hybrid. So far I cannot find any information on them. Do they have a certain name, are they common? I've posted on a few other forums and a person at exotic ark in Saint Louis told us to ask here. Thanks!

It is not a hybrid, it is an intergrade, but anyways, as far as I know there is no special name, it's just a kingsnake. Set it up just like any king, feed it often and it should do well.
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Todd Hughes

///It is not a hybrid, it is an intergrade

this is only a Q? not a critic,but i thought an intergrade was a natural occuring event.
And i am still not sure what to call a sub species hybrid(Oh NO theres that H word again .lol)

Maybe someone will chime in.
no offense Todd...Hava Herptastic Day

In captivity its called a cross. Any two individuals that are not from the same genotype(local) are a cross or outcross.

The snake pictured above, looks like a normal Fla King to me. I do not see any speck in it. Of course, you don't have to see traits of both parents, buts its normal to see them. Cheers

As far as I know there are no real accepted rules within the hobby for what to call some crosses. I think most of us would call that cross (speck X florida) a non-natural intergrade.

Most people in the hobby accept the definition of a hybrid as a cross between two different species or genera, but in the world of biology a cross between two subspecies of the same species is called an intra-specific hybrid.

A hybrid is really a cross between two different kinds of anything. Remember Mendel's experiment crossing short and tall pea plants? Those were considered hybrids even though they were the same plant (different phenotype/genotype). By that definition crossing two different patterns or morphs or localities of the same sub-species would be a hybrid.

As far as captive bred snakes go, I'll think I'll stick to the accepted protocol of calling a cross at the species level or higher a hybrid.

Greg

Intergrade-- is usualy ssp. x ssp. that interbreed in nature
Cross--is a manmade ssp.x ssp. that doesnt interbreed naturally
hybrid--is species A x species B
There can be other, more complicated breedings but for most of us these terms are pretty universal. Please remember the info you got on it because if you ever let it go to someone else you want to make sure that person gets the straight story...not just what it looks like. Good luck with it!

where do specks end and floridana begin? or easterns? what is a nigra......really?
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Todd Hughes

okay, but it's not a hybrid, that is a natural event too, if you want to go that way! I had to work so my day wasn't herp-tastic but now that I'm back home it is!
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Todd Hughes