Category: Old Shop

Ice 10-14-12

 
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 SHIPPING for each Snake-of-the-Day.
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toDAY’s SNAKE of the DAY (Sun. Oct. 14, 2012)

#101412
Ice (Anery Lava)
Female
d.o.h. 2011
25″ long on October 11, 2012
$125.00 shipped
 

Comments: Eating unaltered frozen/thawed fuzzy mice.  Possibly het Amel.
 
Ice corns are the aggregate homozygote of Anery and Lava mutations.
 

The U.S. Dollar bill in the picture is for size and color comparison.  Every computer monitor renders different colors so we put this slightly used dollar bill in the picture so you can hold one next to your computer to assess the color of the snake.

This snake is in good health (not under or over-weight, no parasites or diseases that we are aware, no injuries or defects, and routinely feeding on unaltered frozen/thawed mice).

If we have noticed that the snake listed has any temperament or behavioral issues other than human-friendly, it will be detailed in Comments above.
 

To purchase this snake, click on the Buy this icon.  You will be launched to our shopping cart to submit your payment information and choose which TuesDAY or ThursDAY you prefer delivery.

 

 

Blue Motley – aka: Dilute Anery Motley

Blue Motley (aka: Dilute Anery Motley)

Most Commonly Used Name: Blue Motley
Mode of Genetic Inheritance: Recessive

Type: Triple Mutation Compound (Dilute + Anery + Motley)

Eye Color:  Black pupil & body ground colored iris (usually silver or pale blue)


Combining the three recessive gene mutations; Anery, Dilute, and Motley result in a beautiful compound most commonly referred to as the Blue Motley.  The genetic impact of the Dilute mutation is similar to the Blue Merle Collie and Shetland Sheep dogs – a softening of black – usually resulting in pleasing pale blue or silver colors.  Typically, the Anery and Dilute color mutations do not noticeably affect the Motley pattern mutation, but Motley virtually always improves corn snake colors.


What to expect:
Some Blue Motleys could be mistaken for Pastel Motley (aka: Ghost Motley) and I have seen some that resembled Lavender Motleys.  Not unlike Pastel Motleys, males are usually distinguishable from females by having more “earth tones” in their markings, ground color zones, and sometimes both.  Virtually all females lack this added color shade, remaining pale blue as adults.  Females with the earth tones are uncommon, but in the future of adding other color and pattern mutations to this morph, we’re sure to see alteration of overall coloration.  BTW, the pattern mutation, Motley virtually always alters color and markings – if only slightly. Patterns are often less distinct and colors are sometimes slighted softened in Motley mutants – compared to non-Motley Dilutes – but melanin is reduced.

Important Note:
The advertising images on our web site are representations of the average adult example of each morph.  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.

Striped Ghost Bloodred 10-15-12

#101512
Striped Ghost Bloodred
Male
d.o.h. 2011
30″ long on October 15, 2012
$250.00 shipped


Comments:  Superior color and size maturity.  He should breed in 2013.

Striped Ghost Bloodred (no aka other than exchange of word order)
Note:  Expect DIFFUSED and BLOODRED to be incorrectly but synonymously used
Most Commonly used Name: Bloodred
Mode of Genetic Inheritance: Selective Variation + Recessive
Morph Type: Selective variantion of four recessive mutations
Eye Color:  Black pupil & body ground colored iris

 

FIRST, about Bloodred vs. Diffused:
A few years ago, due to confusion regarding the heritability of the Bloodred’s base mutation (specifically that the namesake snakes were not red and/or diffused), the base mutation name was changed away from Bloodred – toDiffused.  The mechanics of this gene mutation barely diffuse the F1 homozygotes through maturity (if at all), so do not expect Diffused corns to look like Bloodreds.  It is currently believed that Bloodred corns are the product of enhancing the base mutation, Diffused via polygenetic trait modification (selective breeding) to render a red and almost pattern-less (highly diffused) corn snake.  That is not the opinion of this author, but in the absence of empirical evidence to the contrary, the best hobby and market interests are not served by published opposition to popular opinion.  In other words, I’m not in favor of changing the morph name away from the original Bloodred since the new name Diffused is equally inaccurate.  Without polygenetic modification, Diffused corns do not have a diffused appearance.

 

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, F1 heterozygous 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.
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Striped Ghost Bloodred:
Combining the four recessively-inherited gene mutations (Stripe, Anery, Hypo, and Bloodred/Diffused) results in this beautiful morph compound.  Many begin with striped pattern showing and slowly lose some or all of that pattern through maturity.  Others, retain their neonatal pattern, but regardless, the finished genetic product is beautiful AND worthy of breeding into other gene mutations.

What to expect:
As neonates, Striped Ghost Bloodred corns are often heavily patterned. Most of them demonstrate 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 Bloodred typesare among the best feeders of our corn snake neonates.

Important Note:
  These images are not renderings of the actual animals being offered, (except for uniquely offered snakes found in the SURPLUSsection 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 yourSMR snake if it does not mature to be like our advertised examples.

Tessera-12

Tessera (no aka)
Most Commonly Used Name: Tessera
Mode of Genetic Inheritance: Dominant
Morph Type: Single Dominant Mutation
Eye Color:  Black pupil & body ground colored iris
 
 

FIRST, what makes Tesseras so expensive? 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 Ultra 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.

 
History of the Tessera Mutation:
In 2007, Graham Criglow asked KJ Lodrigue to order a 1.2 trio of Striped Motleys that were advertised on one of the popular Online Classified sites – since Graham’s job prevented him from personally receiving them at that time.  When they arrived, KJ discovered that they constituted a 2.1 reverse trio (two males and one female) instead of the advertised 1.2 trio (one male and two females).  KJ and Kasi recommended that Graham gift the extra male to me, and that’s what Graham did.  Profound thanks to Graham, KJ, and Kasi for that gracious and fortuitous gift.  In 2008, both the Lodrigues and I independently bred our males (Graham’s and mine) to novel (unrelated) corns. I produced about 24 TESSERAS (so named by the Lodrigues for the tessellated lateral markings) from over 50 fertile eggs, but since the Lodrigues were in the middle of a career move to another State, they were less fortunate, producing just four non-mutant Okeetee-looking corns.  My Tesseras were produced by the pairing of the male Tessera to three novel female corns (two F1 Locality Okeetees from Chip Bridges Rhett Butler Line and one Okeetee-ish female, Het for Stripe and Amel).  Imagine my surprise in seeing what we thought were nearly flawless Striped Motleys from three different females, only one of which was Het for a recessive pattern mutation?  After the first brood of 50% Tesseras hatched from the female that was het for Stripe and Amel, except for the perfection of pattern, I was not thinking new dominant mutation, but when both wild-type Okeetees produced the same results, it was obvious that a new mutation was discovered.

 

Upon receiving the reverse trio from the seller, we all commented on the mutual peculiarity of the phenotypes.  Most appeared to be the most perfectly Striped Motleys ever seen – in so much as their dorsal stripes were nearly contiguous from neck to tail tip (something never before seen in any corn snake pattern mutant) – but that was hardly possible if the admission of the breeder were true – that they were products of pairing a Striped corn with an Okeetee corn.  How could these descendants of a Striped corn bred to an Okeetee be Motley types, instead of Striped?  It is still unclear if those 2.1 Tesseras were F1s (first familial generation) or F2s (the originator of this line is now out of the hobby and difficult to reach – for clarification).  If these three Tesseras are F1s, my deduction is that the striped corn he used in the original pairing was actually Striped AND Tessera.  Even if those three were F2s, the likelihood of the mutant patriarch being a Striped Tessera is strong.


What to expect:
At this early period in the Tessera’s resume, we still don’t know what phenotypic potentials exist.  So far, the only behavior that is atypical for a corn snake mutation is that many of the non-mutant siblings of Tessera types seem to have enhanced pattern and color features.  So far, I don’t see any hybrid markers, since the collateral sibling features to which I refer are – so far – in the realm of improving existing corn snake features (i.e. some non-Tesseras have better, brighter, cleaner, and/or more consistent colors and markings).
 
In the 100+ Tessera mutants produced by me as of Fall, 2010, I’m seeing the following features:

 
The most obvious advantage of having Tesseras in your breeding inventory (aside from their inherent beauty) is that because the mutation is dominantly inherited, 50% of every brood of corns from them will be Tessera mutants. With most other corn snake mutations, one must raise all the Het F1 progeny, and won’t receive any mutants until F2 reproduction (a task that can take four to six years).  In the course of adding Tessera to the myriad current patterns and colors of corns, an entirely new market is now in the making.
 

Predominantly contiguous dorsal striping is the most unique feature of most Tesseras.  Even when the stripe is broken, it resumes immediately thereafter (unlike Striped and Motley mutants whose dorsal striping never resumes with any degree of renewal). Roughly 1/3 of all that have been produced so far have no stripe breaks.  Another 1/3 or so have two to four stripe breaks, and the other 1/3 can have five to 20+ stripe breaks, but those breaks are merely interruptions of the stripe.  Not unlike very good Striped Motleys, many Tesseras have an interruption of stripe at the girdle (anatomical location – polar to the cloaca), but unlike Striped and Motley mutants, the dorsal stripe almost always continues to the tail tip.  Thus far, fully striped Tesseras have been produced from parents with some-to-many dorsal stripe breaks.  Hence, broken-striped Tesseras can produce fully striped striped Tesseras, even though their stripe is broken.  Incidentally, none of the original 2.1 original Tesseras in this line have complete dorsal striping, but many of their progeny and grand progeny do.

 

More than 2/3 of the Tesseras produced by me so far have atypically large amounts of black pigment in their non-ventral pattern — a feature roughly 1% of all Striped and Motley mutants have demonstrated to date.  Less than 1/4 of all Tesseras produced by me have little to no black in their markings, and these are mostly Striped Tesseras.

 

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The belly patterns are all over the charts.  A precious few have enough belly checkering to qualify them as wild-type common corns — until you flip them over to see their mutant pattern elsewhere.  About 1/3 of them have roughly 15% to 30% of the volume of checkering seen in wild-types, and about 1/3 or more have virtually no belly checkering at all.  Some of the ones with NO belly checkering have organized strings of black markings running the length of both sides of the belly, along the ventral crest.

 

Having grafted another entire branch on the already sprawling corn snake family tree, we think the Tessera mutation will offer genetic flexibility never before possible; mainly in the realm of making Stripe and Motley types without losing the black (or white in albinos).  Imagine all the current colors of corns infused with the Tessera, Striped Tessera, and Motley Tessera patterns?
 

 

 

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.

Charcoal 10-08-12

#100812
32″ long on October 8, 2012
Charcoal
Male
d.o.h. 2011
$110.00 shipped

Comments:  Feeding on frozen/thawed fuzzy mice
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Charcoal (aka: anery B, Pine Island Anery)
Most Commonly Used Name: Charcoal
Mode of Genetic Inheritance: Recessive
Morph Type: Single Recessive Mutation

Eye Color:  Black pupil & body ground colored iris


The second anerythristic-type mutation discovered in corn snakes (Anery A was the first), Charcoal corns were originally named for the origin of the first one to be discovered; Pine Island – off the Florida Coast.  Originally mis-perceived to be a variant of the Anery A mutation, the first one was bred to a Snow corn, in a presumed effort to use this new-looking anery type to alter the appearance of typical Anerys and Snows.  Subsequent generational results demonstrated that this was not an allele of the first anerythristic-type corn; Anery A.

Many of the original Charcoal corns lacked yellow.  Yellow was not common in the first generations of this morph, since early specimens apparently lacked the dietary carotenoid yellow trait/mutation common in most Anery corns.  Even toDAY, some Charcoal and Blizzard corns are devoid of yellow as adults, but in so much as that original specimen was quickly bred to a Snow corn, the carotenoid retention trait/gene is annoyingly persistent in most family lines of Charcoals and Blizzards.  Breeding trials to identify the mechanics and inheritance of the carotenoid retention trait/gene are on-going.


What to expect:

Possibly one of the most unchanging of all corns in the realm of appearance from hatchling to adult, neonates have an overall gray or bluish appearance.  Neonates often have a blush of pink or lavender around the sides of the face and neck, and some of those carry that color to adulthood.  Whether the one you get will mature to have yellow (or won’t), never expect to see yellow on neonates.  One obvious distinction between Anery and Charcoal corns (neonate or adult) is eye color.  In Anery corns, there is an obvious contrast between the iris and pupil of the eyes.  Most Charcoal corns show little or no contrast, having the same jet black pupils of Anery corns, but a much darker and sometimes equally black iris.  Throughout maturity, the eyes of both Anerys and Charcoals may change slightly, but and adults, the distinction between hatchlings remains the same.  Most of my corn snakes that are genetically both Anery and Charcoal are phenotypically Charcoal.  I’ve spoken to other breeders that say some of their double mutants more closely resembled Anery types.

Important Note:
  These images are not renderings of the actual animals being offered, (except for uniquely offered snakes found in the SURPLUSsection 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 yourSMR snake if it does not mature to be like our advertised examples.

Pewter – aka: Charcoal Bloodred-13

Pewter (aka: Charcoal Bloodred, Charcoal Blood, Diffused Charcoal )
Most Commonly Used Name: Pewter
Mode of Genetic Inheritance: Recessive
Morph Type: Mutation Compound (Charcoal + Diffuse)
Eye Color: Black pupil & body ground colored iris
 

Go to History for more details about the DIFFUSED / BLOODRED base mutation of this compound morph.

This compound morph results from combining the color mutation, Charcoalwith the pattern mutation Diffuse.  As with most morph compounds that include Diffuse, the Pewter mutation‘s color effect is greatly diffused (markings sometimes barely visible).  I can think of no other morph name that more accurately reflects the general appearance of most of the examples of the Pewter Corn.  Most are exactly the color of the metal, pewter. Some have greatly reduced lateral pattern that is obvious result of the original highly diffused Bloodred founding stock of all our Pewters.

 

 

What to expect:
Many Pewter hatchlings look like little more than regular Charcoal Corns, but the head should have some form of Diffuse head pattern, and the belly will be devoid of classic Charcoal Corn snake black & white checkering.  The belly pattern can have colors – and even pattern – but not organized checkering. Most Pewters have a soft gray overall appearance, but in the past few years, very dark (virtually black on black) ones have entered the trade.  We founded our Pewter stock by using the most diffused and patternless Bloodreds. 

 

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.

 

Reverse Okeetee 10-02-12

Snake of the Day – October 2, 2012

 

SOTD ID:  100212

Description: Reverse Okeetee

Gender: Female

D.O.H:     2011

Size:   26″ long on October 1, 2012

Genotype:   No known hets or possible hets

Comments: Superior color and pattern

Price: $125.00 shipped

 

Root Beer Bloodred 10-03-12

 

#100312
RootBeer Bloodred
Female
d.o.h. 2010
33″ long on October 2, 2012
Possibly Het Amel & Anery
$165.00 shipped

Comments:  Superior color and size maturity
See ROOTBEER CORN for genetic origins.

 

RootBeer PDF Print E-mail edit

 

 

INTERSPECIES  HYBRID !

RootBeer (no aka)

Most Commonly Used Name:  RootBeer or Root Beer

Mode of Genetic Inheritance: Cornsnake + Emory’s Rat Snake

Morph Type: Single recessive HYBRID Mutation

Eye Color:  Dark pupil



Formerly considered an intergrade of what used to be two corn snake subspecies (Elaphe guttatus guttatus X Elaphe guttatus emoryi), Rootbeers are the final product of crossing an Emory’s Rat (aka: Great Plains Rat Snake) with a corn. Since the new taxonomic classification assigns distinct species to each (Pantherophis emoryi and Pantherophis guttatus), in herpetocultural vernacular, Rootbeers are now officially considered hybrids.  ANY progeny from Rootbeers or any corn snake that has any degree of Emory’s Rat Snake in it, is considered a HYBRID.  Rootbeer hybrids are the non-albino version of the Creamsicle.



What to expect:
Hatchling Rootbeers are orange/brown or sometimes golden hybrid versions of Emory’s/Corns, so they can have any pattern you see in corn snakes. Not unlike some hybrid snakes that can be selectively bred to eventually hide all visual traces of their alien ancestor, some Rootbeers are virtually identical to pale wild-type corns.  Rootbeers (and their Amel cousins, Creamsicles) 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 Rootbeers in pet stores and reptile expos, but were never advised of their hybrid origins.

 

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 ofpolygenic 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 whichneonates 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.

 

 

Fire – aka: Amel Bloodred-12

Fire (aka: Amel Bloodred, Amel blood, Diffused Amel )
Most Commonly Used Name: Fire
Mode of Genetic Inheritance: Recessive
Morph Type: Mutation Compound (Amel + Diffused)
Eye Color: Red pupil

 

Go to History for more details about the DIFFUSED / BLOODRED base mutation of this compound morph.

This compound morph results from combining the color mutation, Amel with the pattern mutation Diffused.  As with most morph compounds that include the Diffused mutation, the Fire mutation‘s color affect is generally more diffused than a typical Amel corn, but nothing compared to Cayenne Fire mutants that possess the additional Red Mask mutation. Except for some of the color and pattern variants of this mutation compound, Fires arguably have much less color contrast than typical Amels and generally redder coloration. Expect dramatically reduced white margins, compared to most non-pattern Amel type mutants. 

 

What to expect:
Many Fire hatchlings look like little more than regular Amel Corns, but the head should have some form of Bloodred head pattern, and the belly will be devoid of classic Amel Corn snake white & off-white checkering.  The belly pattern can have colors – and even pattern – but not organized checkering.  From a short distance, adults appear to be completely red or red/orange, but upon closer examination, most have a faint blotch pattern, and some will have minute traces of white on the scales around the posterior-most dorsal markings.

Important Note:
The advertising images on our web site are representations of the average adult example of each morph.  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.