Reptile & Amphibian Forums

This is a Hardin county KY male calligaster I produced in 02. Phil

And a female from the same clutch. I pulled her out of her water dish for the pic hence the water droplets here and there. These snakes are not the flashiest Lampropeltis but they have always been one of my favorites. Pretty in a quiet way and never seem to refuse a meal. They have a tendency to get really girthy as they mature. Phil

Those are cool snakes Phil. Something about them always makes me think of other snakes though. Is if it is a combo of other looks. From Mole Kings, Great Plains and Texas Rats, and even Corns....yet the body shape says King all the way. Oddly enough the Amels are very pretty too and just are not all that popular? Have you ever come across any adults with a very high contrast as far as difference in its color scheme? Tom Stevens

Thanks Tom. Very rarely do we come across high contrast calligaster in our area and when we do they are females. Those we have are of the eastern forest variety and are much more subdued in coloration than those from farther west where they are actually found in prairies . The calligaster in KY are found in savannah and old field habitats. For some reason however, we have noticed that adult females are much more likely to retain blotching and big males are often a unicolorous gray or brown sometimes with smokey stripes down their length. Phil

I really like those, but have yet to see one in the flesh.
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Tim

That's a beautiful Prairie King Phil. Anyone else keep these besides you?
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My signature is pure...the purest of them all.

Thanks Sean. The parents of those snakes originated from that big abandoned trailer park we visited when you Chris and Pierson were up. I still have the dad. He's a big hulking brute and a neat snake. I'll get some pics of him sometime soon. I gave my female from that site to one of the guys in our herp club. Phil