Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I'd bought some of my first snakes from Steve Hammond, when I saw his recent ads I took a close look. I got a pair of his Fine Line boas, he says they are the nicest two he's ever produced of these. This is the male, the female is blue, but he's the nicer of the two. I believe this is a great example of what selective breeding can achieve.

I like it!!!!

Do you happen to know anything regarding the possibility of genetic ties between finelines and arabesques?

Fineline is a proven recessive trait, correct?

Do you happen to know if arabesques were derived through seletive breeding as well? I have read in a few places that they are but I havent really comfirmed with anyone.

From what I recall from Steves article about arabesques, it wasn't selective breeding. He mentioned he had tried to selectively breed animals with connecting patterns in the past, but it never seemed to carry over to the babies with any consistency. The arabesques I seem to recall he said were produced from an older pair of colombians that had never bred before. I could re-read the article to be sure that was the story, but I think that's what it was. Hope that helps. Take care

Paul

n/p

While simple recessive involves heterozygous and homozygous expressions, ie genotypes and phenotypes, my understanding of selective breeding is more simple, but almost harder to understand sometimes. Genetics is involved, but more in the matter of blending and indeterminate expression. More like breeding dogs. (CAVEAT -- all dogs are the same species so I am NOT talking about hybrids) If you breed a german shepherd to a lab, the litter will show traits of both parents, but very unlikely any will be a perfect match.
If you then line breed the "lab looking" offspring back to the lab, you'll get more offspring that look more like a lab. Hopefully I haven't gotten this too wrong, or simple.
More particular to the "fine line" boas, I hope Hammond won't mind if I quote what he told me about them:
"The Fine Lines were first produced here in the 1980's from a Colombian male that had narrow saddles and a normal pattern Colombian female. I kept all of the Fine Line offspring back that first year (about a 1/4  of the litter). Five years later these were bred together and with some other unrelated normal pattern Colombians. It is from those litters that they were first put on the market. I have been selectively breeding them ever since. "
Thanks for checking out the picture, and congratulations if you made if through my explanation above!
AndyV