>>There has been a fair amount of talk of late about CBB GTP from the "Sedgwick County Zoo" (SCZ) line...but most folks haven't a clue what that means. For a long time I didn't know either, and I was the first person to really do anything with this line...!
It turns out the SCZ line is a reference to a family of Chondros which are heirs apparent to the one and only surviving GTP which hatched from the first ever clutch of CBB Chondros in a North American zoo...not to be confused with the first ever Chondro to hatch in a zoo from a wild caught gravid female (Steinhart Aquarium, 1974) or a private North American collection (mine, 1977). After some inter-zoo barter I reared the SCZ Chondro, and bred it repeatedly over my 26 year career at the National Zoological Park (NZP,)until my retirement a few years back. There are several notable things about this animal I should like to make mention of...
After reaching maturity in the late 1970s the SCZ Chondro developed an annoying habit of going off feed for six or seven months every year from Sept - April...! He is barely four feet long, and I dare say he has never weighed more than 600 grams. However... He has always been a good stud - producing more than ~500 direct and indirect decendants which are alive today...!...not bad for a little snake that has fasted half of it's frickin life...!!
The SCZ snake, also known as NZP accession #303165, was born 3 October 1976 and is alive to this day - making him the WORLDS OLDEST KNOWN CHONDRO...!...from back in the days when Chondros were, in fact, "Chondros" - not Morelia...!... In October of this year this historical chunk of green snake flesh will (hopefully) enjoy his 27th Birthday...!! Perhaps we Chondrohead-types should mark our calendars October 3rd as a national holiday, or something...??? It is at least a day to be remembered and appreciated. Maybe we should offer up an extra rodent or so to our special charges in celebration...?...! Perhaps those of us who maintain "Sedgwick County Zoo" line Chondros should hold reunions every decade or so...whatever...and all in the name of further appreciating these fascinating serpents!!!!!
Sooooo... In case you ever wondered - THAT, my friends, is the story of the Sedgwick County Zoo line of Green Tree Pythons. The picture below was taken of the old SCZ male a couple years ago...enjoy...and think GREEN...!...TW
