Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Here is my new nigrita male I purchased from John Cherry. This guy comes from very large parents, "Lemke Bloodlines" that produce very large, jet black offspring. The mother alone of this guy is around five foot.

Steve

You have a very nice Mex Black. I purchased my Zena from John Cherry also. I got her in Nov of last year at a reptile show in Houston. You will really enjoy him.

My yearling, Shadow, is VERY fast. On the ground, he can bolt very quickly. Mostly I exercise him in my plants, above ground, or I prepare a scene beforehand that allows him to hid, but discourages going under heavy furniture. I suspect that it will be easier to chaperone him when he's bigger.

He has more grace while moving than any other Kingsnake I've known, of 4 species, 6 specimens.

I suspect that Sonoran Black Kingsnakes (Names based on political boundaries? What were they thinking?) are this way because they are less *inbred*. They come from more recent, wild stock and thus desireable traits like stalking are still strong in them.

The "anomaly" lovers forget that the more one breeds a wild species for color or aberrations, the more the natural traits are lost - especially those necessary for survival. (Think of Goldfish with huge, bulbous eyes and whispy fins.) The wild hunter becomes a sedentary scavenger bred for its color. Of course, that kind of mongrolization is illegal for Humans, who have legal rights.