Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Does anyone have a picture of an amel texas rat snake? I am considering purchasing one but the seller is not sure of the species. If no pictures are available, does anyone have a species key that I can use?

Thanks
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Kyle

Common sense is genius dressed in its working clothes. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

8.9.2 Milks and Kings
2.2 Hognose
3.3 Kenyan Sand Boas
0.1.14 Texas Rat Snake
1.1 Macklots Pythons
1.1 Geckos

I don't really know if any "pure" lineage amel lindheimeri are in the hobby or not, but I can honestly say that I would be HIGHLY suspicious of any that were sold as such without seeing the parents, and knowing the person pretty well. The obsoleta complex keys-out identically meristic-wise to others. Considering all you are left with is underlying color and pattern, it would be virtually impossible to distinguish them from having any Black Rat lineage or not, or even something ELSE for that matter.

This very same thing can be said for leucistics. They are all white, so there is really nothing "iron-clad" that would differentiate those either from being Texas or Black Rat. Some say they can tell by the head shape, but head shapes can vary from individual to individual, so there's not much "water" to be held there either in my opinion.

Certainly, I'm not trying to discredit any if there ARE some out there, I'm just saying how would one REALLY know that's what it is by just looking at it??.......you can't.

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

Some agree that the Texas and Black are just basically a clinal variant of sorts to one another in different ranges, and this could very well be true to at least a certain extent, because in many cases, I can see gene-flow from either in certain specimens, like the orangey to yellowish skin between the scales in many Blacks, etc...

So if absolute purity isn't all that important in your case, goes with whatever looks good to you, but otherwise, I would be highly cautious as to what they are.

Just trying to help out

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

Amen to that. In addition, I'd like to state that "purity" in Pantherophis obsoletus is practically meaningless herpetoculturally. For instance, crossing a Black Ratsnake from east of the Appallachians to a Black Ratsnake west of the Mississippi gives Black Ratsnakes, but would you still consider them "pure" Black Ratsnakes? Also, repeated inbreeding as commonly practised with linebred morphs is actually way more damaging (25% loss of genetic variability each generation on average) to the genetic "integrity" of any bloodline. As for the albino TX ratsnakes mentioned earlier, if you like them, if they look nice and healthy, if it's what you are looking for, than by all means go for it.

Agreed, in a "nutshell", that is about the extent of it...LOL!

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