Snake-of-the-Day Oct.16, 2012

Each DAY at 11:00 am. ct (GMT – 5) we will post a different SMR snake being offered at a special price.
All snakes will be chosen for their rarity and/or unique beauty.
FREE U.S. SHIPPING for each Snake-of-the-Day.
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toDAY’s SNAKE of the DAY (Tue. Oct. 16, 2012)

#101612
Bloodred
Female
d.o.h. 2011
37″ long on October 16, 2012
$150.00 shipped
 

Comments:

This 2010 Female Bloodred is the result of pairing a Hypo Bloodred with an old-school Bloodred.  Lately, it has been showing some ventro-lateral (on the sides- just above the ventral keel of the body) yellow that may be carotenoid in nature.  Expression of this carotenoid yellow is very rare in Bloodreds, but we don’t yet undestand why precious few have it.  It is usually associated with Pied-Sided Bloodreds, but the two families that united to reproduce this one have no P/S Bloodred in their family trees.  In another year, she should have finished diffusion of pattern, so she is a perfect candidate for improving most any Bloodred Corn Snake project.  She is 37″ long on the DAY of this photograph (10/16/12).  She has not yet been brumated, but she should breed in 2013 if someone puts her down for a cold nap before January 1, 2013.DAY101612c0345
 

 

 
A brief history on Diffused mutants VS Bloodred mutants:
Initially, the corn snake gene mutation, Diffusion (formerly called Bloodred) was described as being recessively inherited, but many of the F1 generational heterozygotes exhibited some of the obvious features of the gene mutationhomozygotes.  It is extremely rare for simple recessive F1 heterozygotes to exhibit ANY features of their recessively inherited genetic mutation.  For example, F1heterozygous Amel corn snakes have no markers that demonstrate a hint of their simple recessive mutation, Amel.  The paradoxical partial-exhibition of the Diffusion mutation in the heterozygotes resulted in the Diffused mutation being re-described as having codominant inheritance (codom for short), but was tagged with the descriptor, variable.  At that time, variable codom seemed an accurate and satisfactory genetic description for the radical color and pattern diversity among members of this mutation, but far too many geneticanomalies persisted. Identification of the inheritance of this mutation is once again considered simple recessive, but the Bloodred corn that most of us identify with toDAY is virtually always the aggregate of traits resulting from theDiffused (new mutation name) gene mutation PLUS polygenetic traits promoted by selectively breeding toward the highest expressions of melanin reduction, diffusion, and red color saturation.
 

 

What to expect:
As neonates, Bloodred corns are often heavily patterned (sides are generally faded or lacking typical lateral markings). Some exhibit black (or partially black) scales bordering some of the pattern blotches, and most of them have head patterns that are notably unlike those of typical corns. Most SMR Bloodreds diffuse dramatically through maturity, thereby rendering adults that are nearly devoid of head markings, side markings, (any visible dorsal markings will be very faint).  There will be NO belly checkering, but ventral coloration can be all red, all white, or red and white (no black).  Many of the early Bloodred corns in the early 1990s were overly inbred and therefore suffered poor fertility (not to mention – the progeny of many of the first generations were stubbornly lizard lovers, refusing to eat pinky mice).  Thankfully, through out-crossing in our projects to improve or change colors and patterns, Bloodreds no longer rank high in the realms of sterility or reluctance to eat rodents.   In fact, there are some seasons in which Bloodreds are among the best feeders of our corn snake neonates.