Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I plan on getting a pair next season and Ive had a pair before but they were adults and I got them as such. The pair I had were 6' or so and San Antonio Zoo stock (from VPI Pythons). I wish I hadnt sold them especially when I found out that the female was gravid and laid 15 + fertile eggs ! Dennis Mountain got them I wonder of he still breeds them ? Anyway I know of 2 lines out there

San Antonio Zoo
Mark Bell

There must be others Im sure ? What if any differences are known between the different lines ? Ive always heard SA Zoo gets the biggest ? IS this true ?

Keith
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San Antonio Zoo, Mark Bell, Van Damn, and there's also some line from Florida (Florida Zoo?). I've heard that the animals in the San Antonio Zoo are the longest known gaigae (something like 7'-7.5' in length), but I don't know if that necessarily means that this line produces larger animals than other lines.

There's also the (Steve?) Hammack line, I know of at least one breeder who is working with them. I'll have to check on my computer back at home (visiting some friends in KY this week) but I think that the Florida Zoo line is closely related to the San Antonio Zoo line... more so than the others. It is unfortunate that there's no legal way to bring some fresh blood into the established lines. Nice to see so much interest in gaigeae on this forum lately, though... they really are incredible snakes!

Nate

but I would guess that Steve's are from one of the other mentioned lines.

Paul & Others,

This is Steve Hammack. I did used to breed Black Milks but they came from the San Antonio Zoo and Central Florida Zoo bloodlines. (Central Florida Zoo line is the other zoo line that you are thinking of.) I did have a wild caught female at one point but before I could breed her she was transferred to Stan Grumbeck in Arlington, TX. I am not sure if he ever produced anything from her though.

As far as I can remember, I think that Mark Bell got his as well from the Central Florida Zoo bunch, so his may not be an actual bloodline either.

The 2 zoo bloodlines all originated from Costa Rican Stock, as well as the wild female that I used to have. These are the northern range specimens and they tend to get larger and darker. The further south you get they tend to become a little browner in overall color and I have hears that some that were known Panamanian stock, years ago, actually were a little brown in color and still had a faint pattern if the right light shined on them.

Thats about all I can remember about these guys. I am getting older and my mind is getting much weaker. (Sigh).
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Peace-
Kelli Hammack
H.I.S.S.
email me

Keith,

Having access to export and import records would help determine a starting point on numbers legally introduced, fat chance acquiring that. I’m sure some made it in under the not so honest trade before and after the band in Costa Rica.

I believe non-access to outside bloodlines eventually years from now will have some small impact on this animal’s size/health. I also believe that due to the lack of imports many of these snakes have already been crossed. And as the popularity grows with the lack of new bloodlines more crossing will occur.

I have three from the same clutch (1.2) not from either source you identified? The other two (1.1) I have tracked, only by word of mouth, to their origin. To bad cellular DNA testing costs so much. What a great tool for the herp hobby.

Differences: I have seen neonates with Aztec patterns. I have also noted that the males grow faster and change quicker then females. As the snake matures so does the feeding response.

Keith,

I used to breed tham and had 3 out of the 4 lines - San Antonio Zoo, Mark Bell and George VanHorn. George is the owner of Reptile World Serpantarium in St. Cloud, FL and still has a group of black milks on display there along with all of his cobras, mambas and rattlers.

I haven't seen black milks at the Central Florida Zoo (in over 10 years of visiting there). That doesn't mean that they are not from there originally, but the two lines may be confused.

Bob Johnson
Reptile Artistry

Since you kept most/all of the lines, can you comment on whether you saw any physical differences between them (ie. size, color, temperment, etc).
Paul