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.
This Striped Tessera female is het for Ghost and her mate is a Tessera Het Striped Ghost. We believe that among other
corn snake behaviors, some females inherit the style in which they assemble their eggs when laying. This one has the
instinct to lay her eggs in an almost upright assemblage. Regardless of whether corns lay their eggs singly or cluster them
in upright or horizontal orientations, they all secure the clutch with their tails, presumably for stability while laying, but also so
they will know if any animal touches the eggs while in her care. Corn Snakes are not a species that stays with their eggs for
the entire incubation, but they will guard them – as this one demonstrates – for a few DAYs or even a couple of weeks if given
the chance. It’s never wise to let the eggs stay with their mother, since without a moist substratum and damp moss cover,
they begin dehydrating within hours of being laid. Note that the females brush away all debris (in this case, moss) prior to
laying the eggs on a relatively clean and even surface.