Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My understanding was that hybrids, with certain exceptions, are sterile. I was looking through the classifieds and saw this ad,

"These are a first generation cross between a Leucistic Texas Ratsnake and a sonoran gopher. This is a new cross to the hobby and like all new first gen (F-1) crosses the neonates look ugly. But breed these back to one another and get some wild looking stuff. The sky is the limit."

Wouldn't these be sterile, or am I mistaken?

It appears not always. N.A. colubrids appear to be so closely related that intergeneric hybrids are often sterile.
Jim McLean

It appears not always. N.A. colubrids appear to be so closely related that intergeneric hybrids are often sterile.

I believe you meant to write fertile.

To the original poster, the idea of hybrid sterility and how it relates to species concepts has largely been ignored for some time now. It does still make its way into a lot of primary/secondary school textbooks, however, so the idea still exists.
-----
Current snakes:

0.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Silver/Yellow)

1.2 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Green)

7.6 Gonyosoma janseni - (Black)

0.1 Gonyosoma janseni - (Black & Tan)

"These are a first generation cross between a Leucistic Texas Ratsnake and a sonoran gopher. This is a new cross to the hobby and like all new first gen (F-1) crosses the neonates look ugly. But breed these back to one another and get some wild looking stuff. The sky is the limit."

Actually, this is based on a rather large assumption. This is based on the idea that the gene that causes leucism in TX Rats will also cause the same pattern in Sonoran Gophers, a fact that has never been shown. I wouldn't pay a buck for these things.
-----
Chris Harrison

This is true, that combo has not been proven to produce anything. However many Hybrids do prove out as far as creating the "assumed" look from a given pair. It's also noted that F2s and F3s do often if not always look much prettier than the original animals, just like it often does in pure snakes. Hybrids often appeal to people who just like nice looking pet snakes, as opposed to breeding projects. To some they're worth high prices, and too others they're worthless. To each his own. Tom Stevens