Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello
i need your help to identify what specie of Taenuria is that...
and i can make a cross with what species ?
can make taenuria X black rat or something like that ???

Thanks

It is most likely a Vietnamese Blue Beauty Ratsnake [Orthriophis taeniura spp.] and no you cannot cross it with a Black Ratsnake. It is possible that maybe you could, but why? Crosses, or hybrids as they're properly called are not naturally occuring. In most instances snakes that are crossed do not even exist in the same habitats or if they do, they may inhabit different niches. At any rate hybrids probably never occur in nature or if they do it's a statistically infintesimal chance of occuring. What is not considered with most hybrids is that unfavorable genetic mutations and defects can and do occur. In fact many people who have tried to hybridize different genera have seen the sad results when a female gives birth to a litter of malformed stillborn young or lays eggs containing babies that never develop and end up dying in the egg because of genetic incompatibilities that shut down their development early on. Finally, why tamper with what is already a beautiful snake in it's most natural form? There is far too little breeding of the rarer ratsnakes without muddying the waters by wasting time trying to hybridize animals and possibly end up polluting the captive gene pool.
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Matt Campbell
Animal Keeper, Small Mammal/Reptile House
Lincoln Park Zoo Chicago, Illinois

Assistant Curator
Wildlife Discovery Center at Elawa Farm
Lake Forest, Illinois

Hello Matt
that Taenuria is a male and if a got a female, no doubt i will breed without a "cross" but, here where i'm, there is no other Taenuria !! soo, i'm still want to breed, can u give a tip of what i can do ????

Thanks a lot =D

Enjoy the snake for what it is and wait until you can acquire a female of the same species. Simply wanting to breed something is not a good enough excuse to create a hybrid.
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Matt Campbell
Animal Keeper, Small Mammal/Reptile House
Lincoln Park Zoo Chicago, Illinois

Assistant Curator
Wildlife Discovery Center at Elawa Farm
Lake Forest, Illinois

I'm not sure I understand your second two questions. As far as what the snake is, it looks like a blue beauty (taeniura ssp.) to me. Some bloodlines still have a good bit of greenish mixed in with the slate blue color as young adults and it slowly fades as they reach adult size. I have also seen some adults that still have a little greenish hue. There are always other possibilities but thats my opinion. Nice snake. Randy W.

PS Here is a 9ft male blue.

I love seeing your blues and Mocquard's. You've got the nicest ones around..keep posting them That nine footer is just too awesome. TC.

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I wouldn't breed it to a black ratsnake. For one thing they are probably incompatible. Black rats are not closely related to beauties. Beauty snakes are part of the racer/ratsnake complex of Asian snakes, that have a very different genetic makeup from the North American ratsnakes. If anything, I would try breeding it to a blue racer, if I was just trying to see if it would breed and make viable babies. But even here I doubt the babies would be fertile even if you got some. The blue racer, Coluber constrictor foxi, is at least similar in coloration and temperament, and the babies might be somewhat interesting.