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Had 6/6 hatch out today. Coastal Zonata from much further south than typically found. Not as stunning as those from farther north for sure but their obscurity in the hobby makes them even more special. The parents have the classic face patterns and coloration of "typical" coastals as well as the small overall size.

Bill

nice high black babies. good contrast.

Beautiful snakes..love the high black. What county?

Thanks! The three that hatched out later in the day have very few crossovers or black incursions. No insult intended but I'm not going to divulge the county....where the parents came from is fortunately relatively unknown but is extremely vulnerable should the locality become known. Probably being a bit paranoid but I hope you understand if I err on the side of caution here.

Bill

No offense taken, I totally understand about not revealing the county. Gorgeous neonates...have any pictures of the parents?

By the way, I take it you are the same vegasbilly from FHF right?

That would be me! Season is almost over though I'm still holding out for another female Senticolis and hopefully a N. Az. Milk Snake. I'll work Oct. hard! Here's a pic of the parents..as you can see they look nothing like Coastals from further north though if you could see their heads more closely you would be able to tell. The nice crisp white helps too. Thanks for understanding my reluctance to divulge their history.

I was hoping for a double clutch from all my breeders so I left them together longer than usual. These feed like maniacs right off of tongs so I don't sweat feeding them in the same cage.

Bill

Yeah, the season is dwindling down here in the Bay Area as well, with the hillsides of the Santa Cruz mountains dry as a bone. However, despite such conditions here, I still turn up a rubber boa or two once in awhile...gotta wait till Spring or maybe...a few months...for zonata here (baby season maybe?).

An AZ milk would be awesome! What ssp are they, or are they undescribed?

You are right about the parents...by looking at the bodies themselves, I would have guessed multicincta based on how thick the white bands are, as well as the heavy black crossovers.

Zach

You are dead-on in your impressions! They almost look like intergrades to me. I have Greenhorn animals pipping right now with one more clutch to go. I have no doubt the latter will be far larger at birth than the Coastals. One of my breeder males is 40" long...a certified beast!

I tried Mitch Mulk's proven theory and incubated these in the low 70s hoping to increase the red and decrease the black intrusion into the red dorsally. This locality is soo variiable as it is! Can't wait to see how they turn out.

The N. Az. Milks are the topic of much debate....which I will stay away from. I'd be satisfied just finding one....I'll leave the classification argument to those with far more experience. I'm sure the eventual DNA tests will shed huge light on this.

Bill

Haha, exactly! I was almost thinking they looked like Kern plateau intergrades...or even the higher crossover intergrades in the Cascades. Gorgeous, none the less.

Maybe I have my brain mixed up but I thought lower temps would increase the black pigment? I probably read it wrong, but I figured the cooler the incubation temps, the darker the animals produced, due to thermoregulation needs.

Miks in general are confusing to me haha. Too many subspecies! That's why I stick to my love of zonata...and rubber boas haha!

That's what logic would dictate but it is what it is. I'm delaying a biz trip to LA in the hopes at least one of the three that are poking their heads out will fullly emerge so I can get a good look! Shy little beasties though.

Fortunately I'll be back home tomorrow night then off to work in Az. for a day on Wed. Then I'm off to a trade show in Minn. Sat-Wed! 4/6 of this clutch have pipped and I have one more clutch of 6 due to start any day. Fortunately I put an order in for a bunch of day old pinks last week!

I breed Mangrove Snakes as well and always have a few lizards on hand for scenting....Boiga can be demanding as hatchlings.

Bill