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Cotton Candy Snow 2016

Cotton Candy Snow (no aka)
Most Commonly Used Name: Cotton Candy Snow
Mode of Genetic Inheritance: Recessive & Dominant
Morph Type: Mutation Compound (Anery & Amel) + dominant Coral Mutation (?Strawberry?)
Eye Color: Red pupil
 
 
 
 
Before describing Cotton Candy Snow Corns, first, a brief history on the Coral Snow Complex.
Back in the 1980s when corn snake herpetoculture was in its infancy, Snow corns that had a pink or coral cast were called Coral Snows. Early in Corn Snake Herpetoculture, 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 turn white on white) so in the absence of genetic 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 genemutation responsible for pink or coral colored snows was the result of Snow corns that also possessed 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 in 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 corn snake 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 refrence 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.

 
 
COTTON CANDY SNOW CORNS
 

Snake of the Day 12-01-14

 

 

The snake on the left (pictured on dirt) is the same snake that’s in the second picture (larger of those two).  These two pics feature the same famous Cotton Candy corn that Graham Criglow produced a couple of years ago, at two different ages.  The small one in the second picture is a 2014 Salmon Snow we produced, understandably similar since the Cotton Candy originated from SMR Coral stock.

 Snake of the Day 04-01-15

Update:  Pic’d above, demonstrating his transformation from shocking pink to deep coral (almost orange) at maturity, shown here with a yearling Salmon Snow Motley (aka: Coral Snow Motley).

Snake of the Day 12-01-14

Shown here are hatchling Salmon Snow corns (aka: Coral Snows) pic’d with the adult Cotton Candy Snow from Gr

Coral Snow Motley 2017

Coral Snow Motley (no aka)
Most Commonly Used Name: Coral Snow Motley
Mode of Genetic Inheritance: Recessive & Dominant
Morph Type: Mutation Compound (Anery & Amel) + Motley +Dominant Coral Mutation (Strawberry?)
Eye Color: Red pupil
 
Before describing Champagne Corns, first, a brief history on 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. Early in Corn Snake Herpetoculture, 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 turn white on white) so in the absence of genetic 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 genemutation responsible for pink or coral colored snows was the result of Snow corns that also possessed 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 in 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 refrence 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.

 
What to expect:
Like virtually all Snow corns that exhibit neither of their root mutations (Amel and Anery), Coral Snow Motley hatchlings display only shades of white, pink, and or coral, and of course, have red eyes – since they possess NO melanin.  Expect carotenoid yellow to manifest throughout maturity, and of course they will have varying shades of pink and/or coral colors that will intensify with as they age.  In most Coral Snow Motleys, males have deeper coloration than females, but in some cases the selectively-bred influences of Salmon, Champagne, Neon, cause some females to have equal or greater color saturation than males.  Coral Snow Motleys never display any other colors (including carotenoid yellow) as hatchlings, but as they mature, in addition to exhibition of carotenoid yellow, some will develop pale green or bright yellow blotch margins.  Contrast between markings and ground color zones vary widely from one individual to another, but colors in adults are never disappointing. 
 

Charcoal Terrazzo 2016

Charcoal Terrazzo (no AKA))
Most Commonly Used Name: Charcoal Terrazzo 
Mode of Genetic Inheritance: Recessive
Morph Type: Recessive Mutation Compound
Eye Color: Black pupil & gray iris

 

Combining the two recessive-to-wild-type mutations–first done here at South Mountain Reptiles–Terrazzo and Charcoal renders this stunningly pale ghost-colored mutation compound.  The simple recessive mutation, Terrazzo was discovered by Craig Boyd from breeding two Rosy Rat Snakes together (an insular race of corns sometimes called Keys Corns) in the early 1990s. Terrazzos were originally marketed as Granite Corns, but in so much as the Terrazzo producers of that time did not frequent Internet chat forums, many of the mainstream corn snake keepers were unaware of this mutation. Despite warnings (along with pictures), members of one of the popular Online Corn Snake chat forums voted to re-assign the name Granite to Diffused Anery corns (former aka: Anery Bloodreds). It was awkward (and confusing) just a few months after this name re-assignment when Bill and Kathy Loves’ Book (Corn Snakes – The Comprehensive Owner’s Guide) was released, featuring a picture identifying a GRANITE CORN, but of course, that tan corn snake looked nothing like the NEW Granites (formerly Anery Bloodreds) that are black and gray. Jeff Galewood re-named the original Granite corns Terrazzos as he was–at that time–the primary producer of this beautiful mutation.
 
The simple recessive mutation, Charcoal was discovered in the 1980s and was originally called Pine Island Anery (for it’s geographic origin).  Charcoals are one of the “Anery-type” mutants, but easily distinguished from variants of Anery-A.  The eyes of Charcoals usually don’t show a contrast between pupil and retina, essentially appearing not to have a pupil while Anery-A types have a black pupil contrasted by a silver iris.
 
Combining these two mutations rendered a stunning gray and often striped mutation compound.  We started this line by breeding a Pewter to a Rosy Rat (Key corn) that turned out to be het for Terrazzo (formerly Granite).  Since we have not yet been able to distinguish between Pewter Terrazzos and Charcoal Terrazzos, we’re defaulting to calling all of them Charcoal Terrazzos.  
 
I call Terrazzos second “striped-type allele” because it IS the second one if you don’t count the striped version of Motley (since it is on the same locus with Motley). Several breeders (myself included) have performed breeding trials to verify that Terrazzos are not allelic to other gene mutations.  So far, evidence points to Terrazzos being a unique single recessive mutation.  I bred a classic Striped Corn mutant to a Key Corn Het for Terrazzo and yielded no mutant corns out of 21 fertile embryos.  We all agree that more trials are necessary to validate unique allele status for this beautiful corn.  Therefore, breeding a Terrazzo to a Striped Corn should render no striped phenotypes. 
 

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.

Lavender 2016

Lavender (no aka)
Most Commonly Used Name: Lavender
Mode of Genetic Inheritance: Recessive
Morph Type: Single Recessive Mutation
Eye Color:  Red pupil & body ground colored iris (see details below about some having black pupils)

There are several distinct features among Lavender mutants of any variety. One baffling characteristic common in the Lavender mutation is that most of them have eye pupils that are some shade of pink – virtually identical to most albino (Amel) corn snakes.  Nobody yet knows why but some have black pupils.  Another feature in most Lavender corns is that virtually all of them hatch smaller in size than any other corn snake mutation.  What they lack in hatchling size they make up for in appetite.  Not so much that they are ravenous feeders (they actually ARE), but collectively relative to all other corn snake mutations, Lavenders statistically favor pinky mice more than any other corns we produce.  Our adult Lavender types are essentially the same size as other corn snake morphs, even though they start out so tiny. Many lavenders resemble Ghost corn snakes, as babies and adults. 

What to expect:

Most hatchlings are some shade of pale lavender or gray, and as detailed above, they are the tiniest hatchlings in the corn snake hobby.  Some have peach tones between markings, while some have pale and are lacking in contrast between markings and ground color zones.  Through maturity, most will keep their basic neonate coloration, but unlike most corns whose colors become more saturated with age, Lavender types almost always lost color saturation through maturity.  It is difficult to discern between basic lavenders and Hypo Lavenders, since there is a distinct lack of melanin in both.  Most have red pupils, but for genetic reasons we don’t yet understand, some have black pupils.  I’ve seen other morphs that were virtually identical to most adult lavenders, so distinguishing between them is not easy without a genetic family history.  Unless Lavenders are bi-colored (having a peach or coral ground color between dorsal markings), they are highly variable in color.  Expect everything from pale gray to lavender. 

 

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.

 

 

Het Scaleless 10-02-16d

Show & $ell

{product id=1498}

Parents of this Caramel were a Scaleless corn het for Caramel and a Scaled Striped Butter, so this 36″ long adult male Corn is essentially het for Scaleless Striped Butter.  He’s currently eating frozen/thawed adult mice.  His $550.00 usd price includes    

SnowTessera 2016

 
Snow Tessera (no aka)
Most Commonly Used Name: Snow Tessera
Mode of Genetic Inheritance: Recessive + dominant
Morph Type: Mutation Compound (Amel&Anery) + Tessera
Eye Color: Red pupil

 

SNOW

The first compound mutation in corns, Snow corns (genetically, Anery Amels) are the F2 finished product of pairing an Amel with an Anery.  Both base mutation phenotypes are obviously supplanted with different shades of white (no Amel or Anery traits showing). Pairing an Amel with an Anery yields 100% wild phenotypes (common corns) that are of course all Heterozygous (abbr. Het) for both Amel and Anery. In so much as both base gene mutations are inherited in simple recession fashion, approximately one out of 16 of the F2 progeny will be a Snow.  Of course, there will be NO black on any snow corn that lacks the genetic impacts of other mutations.  Sometimes, black is visible in parts of the eye, but this is not melanin.  It is eye tissue whose density defies light reflection, so it appears to us to be black.  At this time, many breeders are changing the colors of Snow corns through the addition of other gene mutations that alter the mature phenotype.

 

TESSERA PATTERN MUTATION

 

Other than appearance, the primary (and inherent) value of Tessera-type Corns is their mode of inheritance.  Since they are dominant to wild type, pairing any Tessera Type that is a Visual Het to ANY corn snake (other than a Tessera-type) will render 50% Tessera mutants in the F1 (first) out-crossed generation.  The results of pairing an Tessera homozygote with ANY corn snake (other than a Tessera-type) will render 100% Tessera mutants.

 

What to expect:
As hatchlings, most are some shade of white with contrasting white or pink markings, but most end up being off-white with dirty white markings.  Pink can show through on adults and yellow is becoming a fairly common color in adult snows (not the carotenoid yellow that manifests through maturity from retention of carotenoids in their diets).  Such non-carotenoid retained yellow is sometimes mixed in the ground color, sometimes only in the markings, sometimes only in the boundaries of the blotches, and any combination thereof.

 

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.

 

 

Opal Tessera 2016

 
Opal Tessera (no aka)
Most Commonly Used Name: Opal Tessera
Mode of Genetic Inheritance: Recessive + Dominant
Morph Type: Single Recessive Double Mutation
Eye Color:  Red pupil & body ground colored iris (see details below about some having RED pupils)

OPAL COLOR MUTATION COMPOUND

Opals are Amel Lavenders.  There are several distinct features among Lavender mutants of any variety. One baffling characteristic common in the Lavender mutation is that most of them have eye pupils that are some shade of pink – virtually identical to most albino (Amel) corn snakes.  Nobody yet knows why but some have black pupils.  Another feature in most Lavender corns is that virtually all of them hatch smaller in size than any other corn snake mutation.  What they lack in hatchling size they make up for in appetite.  Not so much that they are ravenous feeders (they actually ARE), but collectively relative to all other corn snake mutations, Lavenders statistically favor pinky mice more than any other corns we produce.  Our adult Lavender types are essentially the same size as other corn snake morphs, even though they start out so tiny. Many lavenders resemble Ghost corn snakes, as babies and adults. 

TESSERA PATTERN MUTATION

Other than appearance, the primary (and inherent) value of Tessera-type Corns is their mode of inheritance.  Since they are dominant to wild type, pairing any Tessera Type that is a Visual Het to ANY corn snake (other than a Tessera-type) will render 50% Tessera mutants in the F1 (first) out-crossed generation.  The results of pairing an Tessera homozygote with ANY corn snake (other than a Tessera-type) will render 100% Tessera mutants.

 

What to expect:

Most hatchlings are some shade of white or pink, and as detailed above, they are the tiniest hatchlings in the corn snake hobby.  Expect little or no pattern to show, since Lavenders were once called Anery C, and have a phenotype similar to Blizzards and Snows.   

 

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.

 

 

Opal 2016

Opal (no aka)
Most Commonly Used Name: Opal
Mode of Genetic Inheritance: Recessive
Mutation Compound: Double Recessive – Lavender & Amel
Eye Color: Red pupil

 

Opal corns are the double recessive compound of the two color mutations, Lavender and Amel.  Many Opal corns don’t look very different from ordinary Snow corns, but some are what we call bi-colors, showing an orange or coral or pink ground color between dorsal pattern blotches.  There is usually no way to determine which neonates will mature to be bi-colors, but most of ours mature to have such colors.  

 
What to expect:
Hatchling opals are easily confused as Snow corns, and even the ones that will mature to be bi-colored will often look exactly like Snows.  Most of the ones that mature to be bi-colored are actually Hypo Opals, but without knowing that for certain, we don’t charge more for those.  If we know they are actually triple homozygous individuals (Hypo Opals), we do charge slightly more, but those prices will be published under the compound morph name, Hypo Opals if/when we have them.  Other than making the color bi-colorism more obvious, the extra mutation does not make them overly distinctive from those without the hypo mutation.
 

General Note:
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 identical to each other, the nature of polygenic variation results in no two specimens being exactly the same.  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 replace your SMR snake if it does not mature to be like our advertised examples.