I collected a very large adult female coachwhip from north FL off the i75 corridor. All the coachwhips I have seen in the past had a solid black head that faded to a tan color near the tail. This female lacked all black. She is tan from head to tail. I personally have never seen another one like her. I have checked with other herpers, I know, that are familiar with the snakes of that area, and no others have seen such a snake. I am just posing a question to the open market, hoping to ascertain how abnormal this animal really is. Has anyone ever came across coachwhips from that general area that lack all the black pigments? Also, she dropped 23 eggs that should be hatching soon. Since the neonate coaches do not show the same coloring as the adults, would it be possible to determine if the babies will also show the Hypo phase as adults? (PS, I have not received clearance from the hematological council to label them as "hypo" so we can also substitute "pastel" or "uni-color" in place of Hypo and I am fine with that.)

Chuck Hurd
www.ChuckHurd.com
423.580.7513 (txt capable)

[ Reply To This Message ] [ Subscribe to this Thread ] [ Show Entire Thread ]