Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi. I was just wondering what the characteristics are of an average piebald black pine? I have a 5 foot female that has a white stripe almost the whole way down her belly and a white chin. Sorry, I did have pics but lost them because the email account they were in got closed. Is it the same way in black pines as in ball pythons? I know most blacks have some kind of coloration but she has alot of white, all on her belly though. What's that make her, piebald or just above average? Personally, I think she looks so much better the way she is than just the plain black ones and black pines are on of my favorite snakes, regardless of their coloration. I recently downsized my collection to just 4 snakes and out of 14 pines, she's the only one I kept. Just curious. I appreciate anyone who cares to comment, Thanks.

Like you, I find the pnes with a little bit of white as forcontrasting better than tyhe ones without any white at all. BUT, market value is highest on the ones with no white and the least brown or dark brown on them. Can't say why that is, but that is the way it is. Go figure. The interesting thig is that the ones with white, the ones with lots of brown bands, and the ones with almost no color other than black on them can all come from the same place. It doesn't mean that they are necessarily from on locality or another or that they are naturally occuring intergrades or not. Neat, huh?

Anyway, here is an OLD photo of a snake I used to have, so sorry about the quality of it. She's isn't piebald anymore than yours sounds to be. Piebaldism is, in a way, a "partial Leucistic" animal. Areas of the skin are unable to produce any pigmentation/pattern at all. When replicated in the pet market, it is usually a simple recessive gene. However, not all piebalds are that way because of an inheritable trait. As far as I could ever tell, the white belly did not pass on as a simple recessive trait. It was justr a "lower quality" color phase than sold for less, but was prettier in the eyes of some (like me).

KJ

Answered my question and very interesting too. I really don't care whether she is piebald or not. I swear she really is the best black pine I've ever seen. I plan on never getting rid of her. I agree that it makes no sense why the solid black ones are more coveted. In comparison to the pic you posted, mine has the same thing but reversed, in the middle instead of the sides. Anyway, thanks again.

>>Answered my question and very interesting too. I really don't care whether she is piebald or not. I swear she really is the best black pine I've ever seen. I plan on never getting rid of her. I agree that it makes no sense why the solid black ones are more coveted. In comparison to the pic you posted, mine has the same thing but reversed, in the middle instead of the sides. Anyway, thanks again.

I've seen that in hatchlings, but the ones I had always grew out of it. Do you happen to have a photo of her ventral? I'd love to see how it looks in an adult!
KJ