Reptile & Amphibian Forums

While many of you seem to be obsesed with posting pics of morphs, and I enjoy looking at them for sure, I will never stop getting exited over the origional natural forms. Thought Id put my two cents in and took a pic of my female Todd Co, KY L.g. nigra today. She is a yearling from Mark Hardie of Snake Traders, and I just got a male for her from Hardie last week and he's eating like a champ. While I know folks like the Western Black Kings, I can't seem to understand why the Easterns are not bred and appreciated more often!

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BULLS: Pr normal (KS&TX), 1 Pr Northern (M Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada & F Minn), Pr Kankakee Co, Ill, CORNS: Pr Okeetee, SC, FOXES: Pr Western, KINGS: Pr Black Eastern (L.g.nigra) Todd Co. KY, Pr. NC Eastern Chains (M from Union Co. & F from Mecklenburg Co.), Pr."Goini", Franklin Co. Fla, Pr. Costal Banded Cal (M Hypo & F normal) Pr Speckled, Harris Co. TX, PINES: Pr Louisiana (pure descendants of Terry Vandeventer stock), Pr Southern (F light & M leucistic), PYTHONS: Pr normal Ball, RATS: Pr Black, Henderson Co. NC, Pr (M White Side & F Leucistic), F Western Green (Mt. Hopkins, Cochise Co. AZ), OTHERS: 10 Tarantulas, 150 Orchid plants, 40 assorted tropical plants and violets, 3 Freshwater Planted Aquariums with West African Dwarf Cichlids and 2 condo-porch gardens with Bonsai, Roses and etc...

Nice king. I actually have a little more appreciation for Eastern Black Kings since I began finding them in the wild earlier this year.

Not to knock the Easterns, but the masses would consider the Western Black to be the superior pet snake; They are solid black, have big babies, and usually eat rodents without the need for scenting.

>>Nice king. I actually have a little more appreciation for Eastern Black Kings since I began finding them in the wild earlier this year.
>>
>>Not to knock the Easterns, but the masses would consider the Western Black to be the superior pet snake; They are solid black, have big babies, and usually eat rodents without the need for scenting.

I like the black king also, but some individuals if they are not black enough, just look like an ugly speckled King. That one pictured in this thread is a nice one for sure!
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King Snakes! Who can make a better mouse trap?
J Sierra

She's a beauty! Very dark as it should be.
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King Snakes! Who can make a better mouse trap?
J Sierra

While some of the morphs sure are pretty, I'd take a pair of nigras over any of them. She's a real beauty with some attitude.

I wouldn't mind seeing some pics of your Lou Pines and Kankakee bulls.
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BigT
There is a difference between ignorance and stupidity. The ignorant can be taught, stupidity is beyond our control.
1.2 P. m. melanoleucus B/W N. J. Northern Pines
1.2 P. d. deppei Mexican Pines
2.2 P. l. lineaticollis Linis or Lined Pines
1.2 P. m. lodingi Black Pines
1.1 Drymarchon melenurus Blacktail Cribo
1.2 M. s. cheynei Jungle Carpet
2.6 L. p. pyromelana Arizona Mt. Kings
1.1 L. g. californiae B/W Cali kings
0.0.3 M. f. flagellum Eastern Coachwhips
1.2 G. m. bottegoi Western Plated lizards

I like it. It's even darker than the one that I found at Carter Caves (KY) earlier in the year:

Third Eye

Gorgeous animal. I have Todd co. nigra that I got from Mark as well, that should be a sibling to yours. Steve

I don't keep any of those,but I've been fascinated by them for quite some time now.

reako45

Thanks for all the comments! Last time when I posted a pic of my blacks, they got attention... so thought it was time again... need to keep them in the limelight somehow! While some blacks can be more speckily intergragish looking and not that attractive, its all about being picky about what stock you are buying... and that goes with any snake. There are many speckleds out there for sale, but I would not keep many of them at all due to space. With Eastern Blacks, while common in the wild, they are not bred that much- unfortunatly... and when I have seen them advertized on the classifieds, I find them to have sold PDQ and am too late! So if you see l.g. nigras that look CLOSE to what you want, SNAP EM UP, cause they are a devil to find. (Mark Hardie had bunch of folks wanting L.g. nigras this year so you better get to him FAST if you want any animals) I don't have great pics of my LA Pines or my Kankakee Bulls because they are still youngins, but I do have a decent pic of my male TX Harris County Speckled King from Split Rock reptiles that I took last year... and Ill post it below along with a baby shot of that same female Nigra I posted at the begining so you can see how they change pattern in a year. She only will get darker like that AWSOME specimen that was later posted on this thread.

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BULLS: Pr normal (KS&TX), 1 Pr Northern (M Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada & F Minn), Pr Kankakee Co, Ill, CORNS: Pr Okeetee, SC, FOXES: Pr Western, KINGS: Pr Black Eastern (L.g.nigra) Todd Co. KY, Pr. NC Eastern Chains (M from Union Co. & F from Mecklenburg Co.), Pr."Goini", Franklin Co. Fla, Pr. Costal Banded Cal (M Hypo & F normal) Pr Speckled, Harris Co. TX, PINES: Pr Louisiana (pure descendants of Terry Vandeventer stock), Pr Southern (F light & M leucistic), PYTHONS: Pr normal Ball, RATS: Pr Black, Henderson Co. NC, Pr (M White Side & F Leucistic), F Western Green (Mt. Hopkins, Cochise Co. AZ), OTHERS: 10 Tarantulas, 150 Orchid plants, 40 assorted tropical plants and violets, 3 Freshwater Planted Aquariums with West African Dwarf Cichlids and 2 condo-porch gardens with Bonsai, Roses and etc...

that first pic was not great of the Nigra, here are better ones, again these were taken last year when it was 3 months old

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BULLS: Pr normal (KS&TX), 1 Pr Northern (M Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada & F Minn), Pr Kankakee Co, Ill, CORNS: Pr Okeetee, SC, FOXES: Pr Western, KINGS: Pr Black Eastern (L.g.nigra) Todd Co. KY, Pr. NC Eastern Chains (M from Union Co. & F from Mecklenburg Co.), Pr."Goini", Franklin Co. Fla, Pr. Costal Banded Cal (M Hypo & F normal) Pr Speckled, Harris Co. TX, PINES: Pr Louisiana (pure descendants of Terry Vandeventer stock), Pr Southern (F light & M leucistic), PYTHONS: Pr normal Ball, RATS: Pr Black, Henderson Co. NC, Pr (M White Side & F Leucistic), F Western Green (Mt. Hopkins, Cochise Co. AZ), OTHERS: 10 Tarantulas, 150 Orchid plants, 40 assorted tropical plants and violets, 3 Freshwater Planted Aquariums with West African Dwarf Cichlids and 2 condo-porch gardens with Bonsai, Roses and etc...

ok ok my mistake-- those were pics of Mark Hardies snakes that are the parents of my Eastern Black Kings, but I realised I dont have any baby shots up loaded like I thought-- the pics of the adults where taken by Mark Hardie -- his pair was found in a gaurage.

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BULLS: Pr normal (KS&TX), 1 Pr Northern (M Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada & F Minn), Pr Kankakee Co, Ill, CORNS: Pr Okeetee, SC, FOXES: Pr Western, KINGS: Pr Black Eastern (L.g.nigra) Todd Co. KY, Pr. NC Eastern Chains (M from Union Co. & F from Mecklenburg Co.), Pr."Goini", Franklin Co. Fla, Pr. Costal Banded Cal (M Hypo & F normal) Pr Speckled, Harris Co. TX, PINES: Pr Louisiana (pure descendants of Terry Vandeventer stock), Pr Southern (F light & M leucistic), PYTHONS: Pr normal Ball, RATS: Pr Black, Henderson Co. NC, Pr (M White Side & F Leucistic), F Western Green (Mt. Hopkins, Cochise Co. AZ), OTHERS: 10 Tarantulas, 150 Orchid plants, 40 assorted tropical plants and violets, 3 Freshwater Planted Aquariums with West African Dwarf Cichlids and 2 condo-porch gardens with Bonsai, Roses and etc...

I agree totally. I just got a pair from Mark myself about a month ago. They are eating like champs and hopefully I will be able to produce some in a few years.
4lakessnales