Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi folks.

I'd like some thoughts on my Lampropeltis getula .. I got it at a Reptile show, where it was advertized as a holbrooki. but I couldn't get locale/lineage details.. I suspect it's a holbrooki-splendida intergrade, as it looks similar to specimens photographed in the intergrade range (Texas/Kanasas).

What are your thoughts?

Thanks in advance

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Nice snake, I think you have it right, a getula. Its none of the above and acquired at a herp show, means its not one of the above(normal described types)

That said, it smells like it has for Fla. in it. Head markings, neck blotches and orange on the belly.

It could also get more speckled with age.
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www.hcu-tx.org/

Looks like a cross and not pure Floridana
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FR quote:
"Doing the same things over and over expecting to learn something else, is the definition of insanity"

Unfortunately, king snakes have been turned into "mutts" by breeders chasing a few bucks, willing to destroy the whole captive species. Some of the biggest sellers here on Kingsnake.com were the leaders in destroying this species as anything other than captive mutts. There are still a few breeders who maintain locality specific breeders. But kings are nothing more than guppies, white mice or lab rats thanks to the asshats here.

Thanks for the replies!

A little research indicates my snake most probably came from Reptile Industries (Reptmart) in Naples, FL. I reached out/supplied photos to them for further/possible details, but haven't heard back.

I understand and appreciate the legitimacy of locale-specific colony keeping and applaud those doing it. At the same time, I'm "comforted" that intergradation appears to occur in the wild, and am therefore unashamed of my "mutt" kingsnake. The diversity in wild Cali, Eastern, Florida, and even Speckled Kings seems pretty staggering. In any case, mine's healthy, growing, beautiful, and eating f/t like a champion.

After a good bit of querying/comparative image scouring, I think I've figured out what my snake's composition is...It's a holbrooki/splendida cross (or typical "intergrade" referencing an "in the wild" counterpart.)

First of all, the orange-pinkish splotches on the belly are not necessarily "typical" holbrooki, but they frequently occur in specimens of that subspecies. The dorsal pattern (minus the presence of all-black saddles) is very splendida-like. The feature that had me most confused are the rows of spots on the sides and underside of the chin and throat. You'll sometimes see this in floridanas, but not in classic holbrookis or "sockhead" splendidas as a matter of course. But they do appear in splendida variants, such as this specimen from Chaves County, New Mexico, which is adjacent to the westernmost part of the holbrooki-splendida intergrade zone: