Ghost Tessera
Most Commonly Used Name: Ghost Tessera
Mode of Genetic Inheritance: Recessive
Morph Type: Double Mutation Compound (Anerythristic & Hypomelanistic) + Dominant Tessera
Ghost Tessera
Category: Morphs
Extreme Okeetee
EXTREME OKEETEE (no aka)
Most Commonly Used Name: Extreme Okeetee
Mode of Genetic Inheritance: Dominant (wild-type) + Selective Variation
Morph Type: Selective Variation of wild-type
Mode of Genetic Inheritance: Dominant (wild-type) + Selective Variation
Morph Type: Selective Variation of wild-type
Eye Color: Black pupil & body ground colored iris
Arguably the most famous example of a corn snake morph named for its geographic origins, the Okeetee is also considered to be the most beautiful non-mutant corn snake in the species. First popularized by Carl Kauffeld in at least two books describing his field discoveries of this beautiful and robust race of corn snake on or near the Okeetee Hunt Club in South Carolina, Okeetees have since been selectively bred for extremely bright and saturated colors. When we say locality Okeetee, we are referring to animals whose genetic origins can be traced to the Jasper County, South Carolina region. Okeetees that have been selectively bred for appearance and consequently satisfy a visual hobby standard are sometimes called Okeetee morphs, but more often are called simply Okeetee corns.
Okeetees (in the hobby) are a premier example of the promotion of polygenic traits through selective breeding. By breeding together specimens with desired characteristics, through generational selection of pairing only the ones with the desired features, it doesn’t take long to render stunning examples of the morph – without the aid of gene mutations. Please, do not attempt to hunt for Okeetee corns on private property. The Okeetee Hunt Club in South Carolina expressly forbids trespassing, and it is possible to be arrested, if caught on their land without express written permission.
Okeetees have since been selectively bred for extremely bright and saturated colors. When we say locality Okeetee, we are referring to animals whose genetic origins can be traced to the Jasper County, South Carolina region. There is nothing magic about the Hunt Club that makes only animals in that area outstanding looking. Corns in other states of the Corn Snake’s range can be just as beautiful, but proportionally speaking, the corns from this region out-number those that have inferior color and pattern. Okeetees that have been selectively bred for appearance and consequently satisfy a visual hobby standard are sometimes called Okeetee morphs, but more often are called simply Okeetee corns.
What to expect:
Oddly, most of the best Okeetees we produce are the least beautiful – as hatchlings. If you tossed a good Okeetee in a bucket of hatchling common corns, you’d likely not identify it until after several months of maturity. Neonates should show bold black blotch margins, but until one or two sheds, the bright ground colors are not obvious. By that time, blotch colors are beginning to show, and adult Okeetees should have clean (low color freckling) ground and blotch color zones, separated by noticeably broad, black borders. Most of the spectacular examples of this morph are so good, they are sold by other names in the hobby – and are consequently more expensive (i.e. Extreme Okeetees, Buckskin Okeetees, Banded Okeetees). Another notable feature of this morph is its robust size and feeding vigor. Okeetees (which CAN have orange on their bellies – but is relatively rare at this time) have the most spectacular black and white checkered bellies, compared to other wild-type corns.
Do not expect any hatchling/neonate Okeetee to look anything like the adults. This picture shows an adult female Extreme Okeetee with several of her newly hatched babies (no, she was not present when they hatched in the incubator). This adult looked exactly like the babies shown in this image when she was their size.
Extreme Reverse Okeetee
Extreme Reverse Okeetee (aka: Amel Okeetee, Albino Okeetee, Amel Extreme Okeetee)
Most Commonly Used Name: Extreme Reverse Okeetee
Mode of Genetic Inheritance: Recessive + Selective Variation
Mode of Genetic Inheritance: Recessive + Selective Variation
Morph Type: Selective variant of single recessive mutation
Eye Color: Red pupils
Extreme Reverse Okeetees are variants of the basic Amel Mutation, but with the polygenic impact of increased band width of the white blotch margins. Therefore, their only visual distinction from Amel corns is their polygenetic color and pattern scheme. Genetically speaking, like their cousins, Extreme Reverse Okeetees, are Amel corns that have been selectively bred to promote their target look (Highly saturated blotch colors, separated from clean and unspeckled ground coloration by prominent white blotch margins). Red or orange markings are not difficult to reproduce through generational line breeding, but the quality and size of the white blotch margins is often difficult to achieve, and sometimes difficult to maintain through subsequent generations. Note that the ground color zones of Extreme Reverse Okeetees run toward yellow, relative to their Reverse Okeetee cousins. The degree of color purity in the orange background and red (or orange) markings have been enhanced via polygenetic traits, modified through selective promotion of only the best target phenotypes. Some will exhibit color “clutter” in these zones, but a distinction between Reverse Okeetees and most Amel corns should be a dramatic reduction in color “noise” — rendering richer colors of blotch and ground color zones. The blotch margins are often very wide, compared to most Okeetee and Amel Okeetee types.
What to expect:
Reverse Okeetees are one of the few corn snake mutations that change very little between neonate and adult, so expect some deeper color saturation throughout maturity. The often “neutrally colored” blotch margins turn bright white throughout maturity. I don’t recall ever seeing one that was completely devoid of color litter in the pattern and ground zones, but we’re getting closer to that with each generation. Some of the hatchlings displaying orange markings mature to have redder markings, and some of those starting with red markings change to orange, but approximately 75% of all our red ones stay red, and about the same percentage of the orange marked ones stay orange.
Two Extreme Reverse Okeetees (Amel Extreme Buckskin Okeetees) pictured with a Buckskin Okeetee sibling on 06/10/13.
Salmon Snow 2018
Salmon Snow (aka: Coral Snow)
Most Commonly Used Name: Salmon Snow
Mode of Genetic Inheritance: Recessive & Dominant
Morph Type: Mutation Compound ( Anery & Amel) + Dominant RED MASK Mutation (?Strawberry?)
Eye color: RED pupils
Before describing Salmon Snow Corns, first, a brief history of the Coral Snow.
Back in the 1980s when cornsnake herpetoculture was in its infancy, Snow corns that had a pink or coral cast were called Coral Snows. Back then, Snow corns were not as variable in color as they are today. At the time when pink/coral ones were dubbed Coral Snows, it was only common to see snows in two tones of white; crisp white (aka: bone white Snows), or Coral. Back then, prediction of the coral coloration was hit-and-miss (some would start out with a blush of pink, but mature to be white on white) so in the absence of genetic test data to explain the origin of the pink and/or coral colors, the name Coral became somewhat obscure from the hobby for many years. After that era, Jim Stelpflug at Southwest Wisconsin Reptiles was one of the first to predictably reproduce coral-colored snows, and even though pinkish snows were still seen in the hobby, Jim was reliably reproducing them – and was even able to intensify the coral coloration in most. At that time, we mistakenly believed the gene mutation responsible for pink or coral colored snows was the result of Snow corns also possessing both copies of the Hypo A mutation. While some pink or coral colored Snows that were also Hypo mutants DID show a blush of pink, their pink cast rarely intensified to be remarkable in appearance, as is the case with Coral Snow Mutants of today. Pink and Green Snows were not rare back then, and some of those demonstrated deeply saturated pink coloration. Again, the origin of that phenotype was (and to an extent, still is) poorly understood. In so much as most of the early Coral Snows originated from Jim Stelpflug at SWR (Southwest Wisconsin Reptiles), it appeared obvious that some mutation he had in his genetic inventory was causing his to be more colorful than others. The exaggerated pink/coral coloration is now believed by some to be the demonstration of the dominant-type mutation (Strawberry) that was also discovered/developed by Jim Stelpflug. This is believed to be THE color mutation responsible for the rich colors, if not ONE OF such mutations. I have not personally had reproductive results to validate this theory, and in a hobby that has so very many hidden mutations, perhaps Strawberry is just one of such mutations to cause such colors? Breeding trials are still ongoing toward discovering more about this interesting (if not mysterious) mutation. It is not mysterious in terms of inheritance, but in that some non-Strawberry corns can exhibit similar colors – without being Coral/Strawberry mutants. It is not a given that every corn snake displaying inordinate amounts of pink or coral is a Strawberry mutant, but so far, breeding trials between the three most notable Coral Snow types (Salmon, Champagne, and Neon) have demonstrated that they are all at least elementally allelic (breeding any combintion of the three morphs renders Snow corns that have extreme saturation of pink, coral, or both). Hence, there may be other gene mutations or gene modifiers involved in one or all of those morphs, but they at least share the same mutational foundation that causes them to look remarkably pink/coral – unlike classic white-on-white Snows.
The general conclusion in the cornsnake industry at this time is that any Snow corn that is also a Strawberry Mutant (thereby exhibiting a color predominance of pink and/or coral) is a Coral Snow. Any additional reference to familial origins (i.e. Salmon, Champagne, or Neon) is merely a lineage descriptor that may prove valuable if and when it is determined that one or more of those bloodlines actually possesses additional mutations, or strongly influencing polygenic traits.
Therefore, here at SMR, we consider any Snow (or ghost) that exhibits exaggerated/remarkable pink or coral colors to be one of several different family lines of the general group we call CORAL SNOWS. Below are those popular lines;
- Salmon
- Champagne
- Neon (a refinement of Lloyd Lemke’s Bubblegum Snow)
Pairing any two of these popular lines (and other similar lines) will render snows that demonstrate exaggeration of the pink or coral colors. Instead of Strawberry (because enough evidence points to more than one gene causing this coloration) we generally call the gene Red Mask or Red Factor. Therefore, you could call any of these lines simply, Coral Snows.
High White Reverse Okeetee
High White Reverse Okeetee (aka: High White Corn)
Most Commonly Used Name: High White Reverse Okeetee
Mode of Genetic Inheritance: Recessive + Selective Variation
Mode of Genetic Inheritance: Recessive + Selective Variation
Morph Type: Selective variant of single recessive mutation
Eye Color: RED pupil
High White Reverse Okeetees are variants of the basic Reverse Okeetee mutants (Amel is the only mutation known to exist in this morph). Genetically speaking, Reverse Okeetees are Amel corns that have been selectively bred to promote their target look (Highly saturated blotch colors, separated from clean and unstippled ground coloration by prominent white blotch margins). High Whites are selectively bred variants of Reverse Okeetees – toward the target phenotype of having the cleanest white ground coloration. Since the only mutation they possess is Amel, the obvious distinction between any Reverse Okeetee and the average Amel corn is the distinctive color scheme. Red or orange markings are not difficult to reproduce through generational line breeding, but the white background color is very difficult to achieve, and sometimes difficult to maintain through subsequent generations. The white background and red (or orange) markings have been enhanced via polygenetic traits, modified through selective promotion of only the best target phenotypes. While we have greatly reduced the orange coloration in the ground color zones, even our best High Whites show a blush of orange between markings, especially on the first 1/3 of the body. High White refers to the predominantly white ground color zones, but some also have atypically broad white blotch margins.
When breeding two High White Reverse Okeetees together, because they are Amel mutants, you are assured of getting 100% amels, but factoring in the variability of the interactions between genes (polygenetics) means that not necessarily all the offspring will be marketable High Whites. We cull out the ones that do not satisfy our quality standards for High White Reverse Okeetee color and pattern, and those are sold as Reverse Okeetee corns.
What to expect:
As neonates, all High Whites are shockingly red or orange on white, but expect neonates and adults to exhibit slight amounts of pale orange ground color between markings, relegated mostly to the front part of the body. I don’t recall ever seeing one that was completely devoid of color litter over the entire ground zones, but we’re getting closer to that with each generation. If our High White Reverse Okeetee corns did not have such thick white borders, they would be perfect candy canes. Some of the hatchlings displaying orange markings mature to have redder markings, and some of those starting with red markings change to orange. About 75% of all our red ones stay red, and about the same percentage of the orange marked ones stay orange.
Creamsicle
INTERSPECIES HYBRID !
Creamsicle (no aka)
Most Commonly Used Name: Creamsicle
Mode of Genetic Inheritance: Recessive cornsnake Amel + Emory’s Rat Snake
Morph Type: Single recessive HYBRID Mutation
Eye Color: Red pupil
Formerly considered an intergrade of what used to be two corn snake subspecies (Elaphe guttatus guttatus X Elaphe guttatus emoryi), Creamsicles are the final product of crossing an Emory’s Rat (aka: Great Plains Rat Snake) with an Amel corn. Since the new taxonomic classification assigns distinct species to each (Pantherophis emoryi and Pantherophis guttatus), in herpetocultural vernacular, Creamsicles are now officially considered hybrids. ANY progeny from Creamsicles or any corn snake that has any degree of Emory’s Rat Snake in it, is considered a HYBRID.
The albinos are called Creamsicles and the non-albinos are often called Root Beers.
What to expect:
Hatchling Creamsicles are orange hybrid versions of Amel corns, so they can have any pattern you see in corn snakes. I’ve seen Creamsicles that were yellow on yellow, some that were orange on orange, and some that were red on orange – demonstrating the polygenic variability seen in all animals. Not unlike some hybrid snakes that can be selectively bred to eventually hide all visual traces of their alien ancestor, some Creamsicles are virtually identical to Amel corns. Creamsicles (and Root Beers) usually have what we call Hybrid Vigor (robust size and propensities for hardy appetites and rapid growth) from being out-crossed to unrelated snakes. We all hope that breeders will always reveal the genetic background of all their snakes, but I know people that have purchased obvious Creamsicles in pet stores and reptile expos, but were never advised of their hybrid origins.
Fluorescent 2018
Fluorescent (aka: Fluorescent Orange)
Most Commonly Used Name:Fluorescent
Mode of Genetic Inheritance: Recessive+Selective Variation
Morph Type: Selective variant of single recessive mutation
Most Commonly Used Name:Fluorescent
Mode of Genetic Inheritance: Recessive+Selective Variation
Morph Type: Selective variant of single recessive mutation
Eye Color: Red pupil
Genetically speaking, Fluorescent corns are Amel corns that have been selectively bred to promote their target look (red or orange blotches on an orange background, with separating white blotch margins). Since the only mutationthey possess is Amel, the obvious distinction between Fluorescents and the average Amel corn is the distinctive color scheme. Fluorescent corns are similar to Reverse Okeetees, but differ by having more solid blotches and ground color zones, and a more shocking color contrast between white blotch margins and adjacent colors. Many Reverse Okeetees have cluttered color zones with obvious litter of white and/or different color stippling. Fluorescents have more saturated and un-littered color zones. Our Fluorescent corns have less red in them, since their origins are from novel high-color Okeetees mixed with clean Amel corns, but infusion of the Red Mask Mutation is showing promising results, in the realm of altering the orange markings to be more red ones. SMR Fluorescents and Reverse Okeetees are not hybrids of any other species.
What to expect:
Neonate Fluorescent corns vary little from their adult counterparts, with the usual exception of being more color saturated at maturity. Expect to see little color or white clutter in all color zones, and thicker white blotch borders than typical Amel corns. Colors can vary from one specimen to another, but all have more deeply saturated oranges and less reds than their Reverse Okeetee counterparts.
RedCoat Lava
RedCoat Lava (no AKA))
Most Commonly Used Name: RedCoat Lava
Mode of Genetic Inheritance: Recessive
Morph Type: Recessive Mutation Compounds, Lava and RedCoat
Most Commonly Used Name: RedCoat Lava
Mode of Genetic Inheritance: Recessive
Morph Type: Recessive Mutation Compounds, Lava and RedCoat
Eye Color: Usually reddish-black pupil with orange/brown iris
The simple recessive mutation, Lava was discovered by Joe Pierce in the 1990s and was originally called Translucent or Transparent Hypo. They reportedly originated from a wild-caught corn snake that was collected in the area of the Southeastern United States where the famous Okeetee corns are collected in South Carolina. Adding Joe’s RedCoat mutation (recessive to wild-type) and you get some scalding colorful results.
Important Note:
These images are not renderings of the actual animals being offered, (except for uniquely offered snakes found in the SURPLUS section of this web site). We do not provide pictures of individual hatchling snakes for sale, nor do we recommend that you ever choose a new pet based on an image of its neonatal form. Corns change so dramatically from hatchling to adult, they will NEVER have the same colors or contrasts throughout maturity.While most of the snakes we produce will mature to resemble the featured adult image(s) on our web site, unlike manufactured products that are respectively clones of each other, the nature of polygenic variation results in each animal being similar but not identical to others of its morph. The snake we select for you may not mature to be identical to the pictured examples, but will be chosen based on our experience of observing which neonates will mature to properly represent their respective morph. We take this responsibility very seriously, and therefore publish the guarantee that we will exchange your SMR snake if it does not mature to be like our advertised examples.
Okeetee 2018
Okeetee (no aka)
Most Commonly Used Name: Okeetee
Mode of Genetic Inheritance: Dominant (wild-type) + Selective Variation
Morph Type: Selective Variation of wild-type
Most Commonly Used Name: Okeetee
Mode of Genetic Inheritance: Dominant (wild-type) + Selective Variation
Morph Type: Selective Variation of wild-type
Eye Color: Black pupil & body ground colored iris
Arguably the most famous example of a corn snake morph named for its geographic origins, the Okeeteeis also considered to be the most beautiful non-mutant corn snake in the species. First popularized by Carl Kauffeld in at least two books describing his field discoveries of this beautiful and robust race of corn snake on or near the Okeetee Hunt Club in South Carolina, Okeetees have since been selectively bred for extremely bright and saturated colors. When we say locality Okeetee, we are referring to animals whose genetic origins can be traced to the Jasper County, South Carolina region. There is nothing magic about the Hunt Club that makes only animals in that area outstanding looking. Corns in other states of the Corn Snake’s range can be just as beautiful, but proportionally speaking, the corns from this region outnumber those that have inferior color and pattern. Okeetees that have been selectively bred for appearance and consequently satisfy a visual hobby standard are sometimes called Okeetee morphs, but more often are called simply Okeeteecorns.
Okeetees (in the hobby) are a premier example of the promotion of polygenic traits through selective breeding. By breeding together specimens with desired characteristics, through generational selection of pairing only the ones with superior target features, it doesn’t take long to render stunning examples of the morph – without the aid of gene mutations. Please, do not attempt to hunt for Okeetee corns on private property. The Okeetee Hunt Club in South Carolina expressly forbids trespassing, and it is possible to be legally prosecuted, if caught on their land without express written permission.
What to expect:
Oddly, most of the best Okeetees we produce are the least beautiful – as hatchlings. If you tossed a good Okeetee in a bucket of hatchling common corns, you’d likely not identify it until after several months of maturity. Neonates should show bold black blotch margins, but until one or two sheds, the bright ground colors are not obvious. By that time, blotch colors are beginning to show, and adult Okeetees should have clean (low color freckling) ground and blotch color zones, separated by noticeably broad, black borders. Most of the spectacular examples of this morph are so good, they are sold by other names in the hobby – and are consequently more expensive (i.e. Extreme Okeetees, Buckskin Okeetees, Banded Okeetees). Another notable feature of this morph is its robust size and feeding vigor. Okeetees (which CAN have orange on their bellies – but is relatively rare at this time) have the most spectacular black and white checkered bellies, compared to other wild-type corns.
Do not expect any hatchling/neonate Okeetee to look anything like the adults. This picture shows an adult female Extreme Okeetee with several of her newly hatched babies (no, she was not present when they hatched in the incubator). This adult looked exactly like the babies shown in this image when she was their size.
Rhino Ratsnake 2017
Rhino (aka: Rhinocerous) Ratsnake
Gonyosoma boulengeri
Most Commonly Used Name: Rhino Rat
Mode of Genetic Inheritance: Wild-type
Mode of Genetic Inheritance: Wild-type
Morph Type: wild-type
Eye color: green
DETAILS:
Naturally found in Asian sub-tropical rain forests, Rhino Ratsnakes are a small and gentle colubrid species that are largely human-tolerant. Only one of the 40+ I have owned ever bit me, and that was from mistaken identity (biting the wrong pinky–MY pinky finger–thinking I was offering a pinky mouse).
Right out of their eggs they are tan colored, but within a few short months they transform from tan to Olive green to brilliant green as adults. The first meals I offer are live minnows or minnow-scented live pinky mice. They eventually take live unscented pinkies, finally eating appropriately sized frozen/thawed mice that have no scenting at all. At this time we have several 2017 nine-month-old (as of toDAY, May 21, 2018) juveniles that are eating unscented f/t (frozen/thawed) pinky mice weekly. I have a precious few that are still eating LIVE pinky mice, and those can be purchased at a discounted price. Inquire.
