Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi All,
THe recent discussion on the splendida/holbrooki "integrades" got me to thinking about the various such animals I have seen. When I lived in Alpine, TX for a few years back in the 90s, I got up to Midland/Odessa fairly frequently and saw the animals up there. They tended to be pretty much splendida like, except that they had less black on their bellies, a holbrooki trait. Several from the Crane, TX area were black and white, which I thought was pretty attractive. I have collected good holbrooki from the shores of Lake Karl Blackwell in OK and the most heavily speckled holbrooki (no pattern at all)I found just E of Houston. Most of the LA animals have a bit of a chain midorsally. They vary in color from bright yellow(orange as juvies)near the coast to a soft greenish yellow, which is commonest. In AL, the snakes in Mobile Co. look pure holbrooki, while those just accross Mobile bay in Baldwin Co. look like chains with just a bit of speckling between the anterior few chains. I wonder about the splendida integrades, though. I'm sure some just look like splendida without actually having much of those genes. I do know that the northern most holbrooki are substantially smaller than the LA specimens. Neat, variable snakes, like most getula and triangulum for that matter.
Just my two cents,
Jim McLean

I promise to get a better pic of this TX intergrade but you can still get the idea.
I really love the intense yellow belly against the lighter side colors.
:Mark

another pic.
:Mark

Mark thats a spectacular looking snake. What area is that animal from if you dont mind saying ?
I'd have to agree with Kisatchie that many of the animals that look like they may have splendida influence may have none at all. The animals around the Houston area seem to be highly variable pattern wise and certainly color wise. This first animal is the most heavily patterned holbrooki I have ever seen coming from just SouthEast of Houston also
while this second is from about an hr west of Beaumont,Tx.


-Scott
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Scott Wahlberg

...not sure the county. Is there a million in TX.??!!
I'll find it though...and let you know.
:Mark

How about a speckled x Texas ratsnake

I meant yellow ratsnake