The Snake-of-the-Day headliner of this web site features photographs that we believe will interest our web site visitors. Each daily photograph will be posted at 11:00 am. central (GMT – 5) and replaced in 24 hours. Feel free to make suggestions regarding what snake photographs you would like to see in this daily feature. The animals pictured here are not for sale, unless otherwise noted, but you can find available surplus snakes for sale on the Surplus Page of this web site. We appreciate your patronage and welcome any suggestions you may have.
The more richly pink Palmetto (head on right) is a Charcoal Palmetto and the paler one (head on left) is a classic Palmetto. The degree of pink ground color has nothing to do with the Charcoal mutation distinction, as I have had both these shades of pink in Palmettos that matured to be equally overall-white. The most obvious marker for the Charcoal Palmetto is the eye being nearly devoid of contrast between pupil and iris (virtually appearing not to have a pupil/iris). Also, the blue undertone showing more prominently than non-charcoal Palmettos through the supraocular scale above the eye is a marker for the Charcoal Mutation in light-colored corns. The Charcoal Palmetto’s eye appears to be a bit large (and may well be), but having no lighter iris, the transition from black eye to white facial scales contributes to exaggerated appearance of the eye’s size. Naturally, the visual distinction between Charcoal and Classic Palmettos will be more obvious in the next six to nine months of ontogeny (maturity). I’ll keep everyone updated on color changes, but we anticipate that all color flecking will be shades of gray and black on the Charcoal Palmetto. I’ll get better shots of the eyes after they shed, to demonstrate how the eyes of Charcoal Palmettos barely (if at all) show the transition of pupil to iris. Unlike most Anery corn snake mutants, many charcoal-type corn snake mutants barely demonstrate a demarcation between iris and pupil. AND btw, neither of these Palmattos have yet sloughed their egg skins.