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This is the same animal Max Peterson found on his property a few months ago. At first glance it appears Axanthic/Anerythristic however when you look close you can see specs of red and orange. It reminds me of a Calico Influence but even that does not seem to fit. What do you guys think? I have caught hundreds of these guys and never seen anything like this one.

Thanks
Allen Sheehan

The extremely dark coloration could be coming from some black rat genes creeping in. Where was it captured (general info)? The lighter coloration in the pic seems restricted to the skin showing between the scales, maybe some bleed into the scale tips, but mainly between the scales. Its not unusual for texas or blacks to show lighter skin coloration between the scales that can be orange/yellow/white. Still, it could be an axanthic animal, or just a really dark texas rat showing light skin color between the scales.

This animal was caught in North Texas. about an hour north of Dallas. I guess its the large amount of white that is throwing me off. Everything I have caught in this area has a good or large amount of yellow orange and red to the skin and scales with some lesser degree of white. This animal has such a large amount of white skin and a very reduced amount of other colors that it makes the over all snakes look much different than anything you would typically find around here. I guess we are just going to have to raise up and breed the offspring to see what happens. I am just impatient and not looking forward to waiting 3-4 years to see what happens.

Allen Sheehan

I suspect there is some black rat gene influence going on that far north in Texas. Blacks can integrade with texas rats in northern LA. I assume likewise in northern Texas. It may even be a black rat and not a Texas rat at all. Not sure of the ranges. Its still an interesting animal!!

>>This is the same animal Max Peterson found on his property a few months ago. At first glance it appears Axanthic/Anerythristic however when you look close you can see specs of red and orange. It reminds me of a Calico Influence but even that does not seem to fit. What do you guys think? I have caught hundreds of these guys and never seen anything like this one.
>>
>>Thanks
>>Allen Sheehan
>>
>>

I remember when it was originally posted. There is definitely something different about that snake. It's not just a dark specimen with red and white showing through, I really beleive there is something else going on with that one.
any way you could get a shot of it outside in natural, indirect light?
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Corn snakes and rat snakes...No one can have just one.
"Resistance is futile"
Jimmy Johnson
(Draybar)
Draybars Snakes

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Forgive the nose rub as this is under control. I took these pictures outside this afternoon

It looks like a perfect example of extreme hypo-erythrism to me in every single respect(great reduction in reds/oranges/yellows).

That is a very unique look I must say,...... congrats!

~Doug
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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

my website -serpentinespecialties.webs.com

Much better pic. I would have to agree that some type of anery or axanthic genes are at work based on this better pic. The hard part is being patient and seeing if this trait breeds true. Since amel Texas rats are out there, you may be on to producing some snow Texas rats for sure!!!

Good Luck!!
KevinM

I have a pair of albinos but my male wont be ready this next spring so I will have to breed this Axanthic animal to something else. If anyone out there is aware of an adult male albino Texas Rat for sale I am very interested and would much appreciate a lead. I have scoured the adds and all the leads I can, and come up with only the young pair I have.

Thanks
Allen Sheehan

To be "axanthic", it cannot have ANY reds/oranges/yellows whatsoever.

It really is best described as being extremely "hypo-erythristic", or "hypo-xanthic" animal, as xanthophores are responsible for these pigment colors that can work in tandem with erythrophores.

Xanthophores

These chromatophores produce red and yellow pigments known as pteridines. These may vary in color from pure yellow to pure red, as well as intermediate shades. Xanthophores possessing a predominantly red coloration are referred to as erythrophores.

Xanthophores also retain yellow to reddish pigments contained in the diet in the form of carotenoids. Carotenoid retention continues throughout life, and intensity of pigmentation varies based on the quantity and types of carotenoids contained in the diet. Additionally, the animals' genetic predisposition towards and ability to store carotenoids will affect appearance.

regards, ~Doug
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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

my website -serpentinespecialties.webs.com

You are correct. I am referring to this animal loosely as "Axanthic" when I shouldn’t be. I do agree with your assessment that this animal is either "hypo-erythristic", or "hypo-xanthic" as there is visible color on this snake. Regardless I sure would love to see second generation offspring with the albino gene or black layer of color removed. I would imagine it to be a very high white animal with just enough red orange and yellows to keep thinga interesting and make for a very cool looking snake.

Allen Sheehan

Sorry, yes text often gets a bit misunderstood sometimes

That is one absolutely stunning Texas Rat mutation!!, and I would totally agree with your assessment of the offspring very likely being virtually colorless with the exception of some varying degrees of color here and there. That would definitely be more eye-catching than a solid pale white snake in my opinion too.

Best of luck with producing some of those gems in the future!

I look real forward to seeing what happens, so when that day comes, please do post some pics.

best regards, ~Doug
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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

my website -serpentinespecialties.webs.com

To me it looks like some form of piebalding or calicoing that only affects the red and yellow pigments.

Looks a lot nicer since she shed.
I'm glad you've got the snake & the animals to plug into her.
I'd still be looking for a red-eyed lucy to get all the genes in one breeding.
The specific locale is SW Fannin County, TX.
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"There's a fine line between genius and insanity. I have erased this line."
Oscar Levant

Hey Max!
Yea I would certainly entertain a red eyed lucy but I am even having a hard time finding one of those. I am sure I will dig one up before fall. Worst case I have the big proven blue eyed lucy male I can pair up with her in the spring. We will get some cool offspring from this girl. I am looking forward to delivering a pair to you and checking out your other reptiles. What is really cool is this girl is surprisingly mellow for an adult wild caught Texas rat. She has yet tried to bite and ate from my hand.

Allen Sheehan

Hey Allen,
yeah, she gaped her mouth at me a few times, but never tried to bite. I've found that when I first catch them, if I just gently reach under & pick them up without restraining them they are usually pretty mellow. If you grab them by the head, or handle them roughly it seems to set a more aggressive precedent.
Anyways, I'll still keep my eyes out for a red-eyed lucy & I'm going to set a few funnel traps out near my board pile - if there are eggs in there, they should be hatching around the 21st.
Cheers,
Max
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"There's a fine line between genius and insanity. I have erased this line."
Oscar Levant

Kind OF looks like it has black rat influence. I have one that looks similar to that, that I caught in Claiborne Parish Louisiana. Around there they are considered blacks, or intergrades. Did you say that one was from Max's place?

Hi Alan,
Yeah, caught it by my horse stalls.
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"There's a fine line between genius and insanity. I have erased this line."
Oscar Levant

Hey Max. I wasn't sure if that was the same one or not. The one I caught in northren Louisiana has a more normal amount of red between the scales, but the white is pretty similar. That is the only one I've seen out of that area, so I'm not sure how typical she is.

I can safely say that this one is anything but typical
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"There's a fine line between genius and insanity. I have erased this line."
Oscar Levant

I agree with you there. I've seen a few lindies from north Texas and they looked like what you find near Austin.