Striped Amber

Striped Amber (no aka)
Most Commonly Used Name: Striped Amber
Mode of Genetic Inheritance: Recessive

Type: Triple mutation compound (Stripe + Caramel + Hypo)

Eye Color: Black pupil & body ground colored iris (some can be so hypomelanistic, their pupils can be gray to dark red).

 

Combining the three recessive gene mutations; Caramel + Hypo = Amber & Stripe renders this beautiful striped yellow corn.  Except for the black pupils, many of our striped ambers look like Striped Butters (red pupils).

 

What to expect:
Both male and female hatchlings look alike (essentially gold with dark gold or brown linear stripes), but all will mature to be some shade of yellow with gold or light brown stripes.

 

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 Amel

Striped Amel (no aka)
Most Commonly Used Name: Striped Amel
Mode of Genetic Inheritance: Recessive

Type: Double mutation compound (Stripe + Amel)

Eye Color: Red pupil

 

Combining the two recessive gene mutations, Stripe and Amel result in a beautiful compound mutant with rich colors.

 

A comparison photograph of a Striped Amel corn and a Striped Amel Motley corn are shown below, so you can see the main distinction between stripes.  In this image, you can see that the pattern schemes are essentially reversed.  The Striped corn on the left has relatively little pattern zones (striping) relative to overall color and pattern, compared to the striped motley on the right that has very little ground color zone.  The Striped Motley on the right essentially has a linear zone of ground coloration between conti

guous dorso–lateral striped markings.  The width of ground color zone between the dorso-lateral pattern stripes is the basic way to distinguish between Striped corns and Striped Motley corns.  BTW, Stripe and Motley are alleles of the same Chromosomal locus, but Motley is demonstrated as dominant over Stripe.

 

 

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What to expect:

While most corn snake mutants change dramatically from hatchling to adult, Striped Amels are one of the few that change very little.  Their pattern fades with age, but colors get increasingly saturated with age, sometimes resulting in richly colored Albino corns with linear color zones barely separated by markings. Often, the stripes that are so prominent as neonates fade, and in some cases they completely disappear.  The junction of the two different color zones remains in the absence of the missing stripes.  The final product is one of the most intensely colored corn mutations in the hobby. If not for the black pupils of the Striped Hypo in this image comparative, one would be tempted to say these two corns have virtually identical color.

 

 

 

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.

Stripe

Stripe (aka: plural Striped)
Most Commonly Used Name: Striped
Mode of Genetic Inheritance: Recessive
Morph Type: Single recessive Mutation
Eye Color: Black pupil & body ground colored iris

 

The pattern gene mutation, Stripe, has been demonstrated in virtually every commonly kept snake species.  Of course, striping is the predominant wild-type pattern for many snake species (i.e. garter, ribbon snakes, yellow rat snakes).  In so much as pattern and behavior are linked – since cryptosis is the primary survival behavior of most blotched snakes and speed of flight is primary in most striped snakes – it would be highly unlikely for striped mutant corns to thrive in the wild.  Snakes with blotched patterns benefit from coiling up in the forest undergrowth where they are reasonably camouflaged.  Since a striped mutant corn snake would have the primary instinct to remain motion-less, imagine how fast it would be killed and/or eaten if it looked like a coiled rope in an otherwise chaotic ground-scape?

At this time, there are at least two striped-type corn snake mutants that are not allelic to the original Striped mutation (not counting the allelic Striped Motley); Terrazzo and Tessera.  Tessera usually demonstrates heavy tessellation pattern on the sides which is never seen on Terrazzo or Striped mutants.  Both Striped and Motley mutants are alleles of the same chromosome locus, but those are the only others . . . so far.  Hence, Terrazzo mutants (formerly called GRANITE corns) owe their appearance to a mutation on a locus other than that of Striped and Motley, so when you breed a Terrazzo mutant to a Striped mutant, neither of them are demonstrated in the progeny.  Presuming both parents of such unions possess no gene copies of other mutations, all the babies produced from Striped X Terrazzo mutants would be wild-type phenotypes.  Both Striped and Terrazzo mutations are capable of producing nearly pattern-less individuals.

Some corn snake keepers and breeders are unimpressed with the often bland appearance of Striped corns, but if you endeavor to make striped versions of other mutations, you must start with a Striped mutant.  Like so many corn snake morphs that are compounds of stripes and other colors and/or patterns, the Striped mutation often does more than just change the pattern.  Frequently, the overall contrast and/or coloration is also altered in the compound product.

 

 

What to expect:
Hatchling striped corns are just what you’d expect; a relatively solidly colored snake with darker longitudinal stripes that are parallel to the spine.  Unlike Ribbon and Garter Snakes, these stripes are NEVER contiguous from neck to tail tip, but outstandingly good examples of this mutation can have contiguous striping to the girdle (where the tail begins).  Otherwise, most Striped corns demonstrate rather good striping that begins at the neck, and runs tail-ward for about half the body.  Then, the stripes begin to break up into dashes that eventually fizzle out somewhere before reaching the tail.  In poorly striped examples, non-striped markings are sometimes exhibited on the dorsum in a form of random and dis-organized ovals or rectangles or bow-ties, etc..  Those usually fade with maturity and are sometimes difficult to see, except in strong lighting.  In striped mutants with wild-type color, the stripes may somewhat fade during maturation, and in some cases can even slowly fade and vanish through maturity.  In the extreme examples of such Striped variants, the stripes can completely (but slowly) disappear between hatching and reaching maturity.  Often, when mixing the striped pattern mutation with other pattern and/or color mutations, the stripes can be all-together absent.   There are completely pattern-less corns of all colors in our trade, but when you breed one of the pattern-less corns to a Striped mutant, a percentage of the progeny will be Striped mutants – demonstrating that they are not pattern-less mutants, but variations of the Striped mutation.  Perhaps the pattern-less or vanishing-striped individuals owe the gradual disappearance of their pattern to a gene modifier or a separate gene mutation?  Breeding trials are now under way in an effort to identify why some Striped corns lose their striping (or actually hatch without it).  Eventually, a pattern-less mutation will be discovered that is not allelic to this mutation.

 

In summary, the primary feature of this mutation (the striping) is highly variable in color-saturation, width, length, clutter, contiguity, breaking, restarting, vanishing, and even absence. Most Striped mutants have relatively consistent stripe width (see Striped VS Striped Motley comparison image below).  Expect the belly to be devoid of the classic corn snake checkering, but some colors and markings can be seen on some individuals.  These are usually relegated to dark stippling and/or one or multiple shades of the predominant body color of the snake.  It’s not uncommon for some Striped corns to have white bellies from the chin to half way back toward the tail, and fade into a pale version of the predominant body color for the remainder of the belly, including the tail.  Some have tiny black flecking over part of all of the belly, but never checkering.  The most common belly pattern I’ve seen in Striped corn mutants is color-less with traces of black stippling, usually following an elongate direction or stream. 

A comparison photograph of a Striped Amel corn and a Striped Amel Motley corn are shown below, so you can see the main distinction between stripes.  In this image, you can see that the pattern schemes are essentially reversed.  The Striped corn on the left has relatively little pattern zones (striping) relative to overall color and pattern, compared to the striped motley on the right that has very little ground color zone.  The Striped Motley on the right essentially has a linear zone of ground coloration between contiguous dorso–lateral striped markings.  The width of ground color zone between the dorso-lateral pattern stripes is the basic way to distinguish between Striped corns and Striped Motley corns.  BTW, Stripe and Motley are alleles of the same Chromosomal locus, but Motley is demonstrated as dominant over Stripe.

 

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.

 

 

 

Coral Snow

Coral Snow (no aka)
Most Commonly Used Name: Coral Snow
Mode of Genetic Inheritance: Recessive & Dominant
Morph Type: Mutation Compound ( Anery & Amel) + Dominant Coral Mutation (Strawberry?)
Eye Color:  Red pupil
* *  These are Generic Coral Snows with undetermined hobby bloodlines, but true Coral Snow Mutants.


Before describing Champagne Corns, first, a brief history on the Coral Snow.
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 gene mutation 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.


Coral Snow:
The pink or coral Snows we market as Coral Snows are generic, relative to the three popular breeds of Coral Snows in the hobby toDAY.  That is to say, when individual family lineage is known, we market them as representatives of their respective bloodline (ie: purely Salmons OR purely Champagnes OR purely Neons), but if their respective bloodline is in question or the aggregate of unknown Coral types, they are sold as Coral Snows.  Hence, since it has been demonstrated that when pairing any combination of these three bloodlines of coral and/or pink colored snows together, pink and/or coral phenotypes result, we consider all to be in the general morph family of Coral Snow Corns, and are therefore all Coral-Type Mutants.  Collateral traits often distinguish one of these family bloodlines from the others, but every time that we are aware, breeding any of these together results in remarkably pink and/or coral colored snows that look nothing like their classic Snow cousins.  Therefore, Coral Snow is a Morph Family, of which there are currently three popular bloodline origins; Salmon, Champagne, and Neon. Our Coral Snows are guaranteed to be authentic Coral genotypes – believed to be homozygous for the Strawberry Mutation. Specifically known family lines (Salmons, Champagnes, or Neons) have higher market prices than the basic Coral Snow. 

What to expect:

Like virtually all Snow corns that exhibit neither of their root mutations (Amel and Anery), Coral Snows have red eyes – since they possess NO melanin.  Occasionally, dark features exist in the eyes that appear black.  They are eye tissue oones that do not reflect light, thereby appearing to be black, but not because of melanin – which cannot exist in any part of a true snow corn’s body. 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 basic Coral Snows, males have deeper coloration than females, but in some of the sub-morphs (i.e. Salmon, Champagne, Neon), females can have equal or greater color saturation — the result of selective breeding.  Coral snows 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.   


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.

Snow

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

 

The first compound mutation in corns, Snow corns are the 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. 

 

What to expect:
Since they have been commonly bred for so long, there is a wide variety of different color schemes in Snow corns.  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:
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.

Sunkissed – aka: Hypo B

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

 

Wow, what a beautiful corn snake.  Sometimes referred to as Hypo B (the second hypomelanistic mutation to be discovered), this one’s the prettiest ever.  Allegedly, the gene derives from wild-caught Okeetee corns that were caught on or near Okeetee Hunt Club.  The odd head pattern on most Sunkissed corns is very unusual for any corn snake mutation, but the older the corn snake hobby gets, the more we see such unusual things.  In some, the melanin in their pattern is sometimes “shattered”, giving the visual appearance of having dotted blotch outlines.  Some even have no discernible corn snake pattern.  Just semi-orderly dotted pattern that sometimes doesn’t even remind one of pattern saddles.  Since virtually every Sunkissed corn I’ve ever owned was less than friendly toward humans (polite way of saying, “watch out when ya reach for one“), it is safe to say that their human intolerance is a behavior associated with the mutation.

Enough of the odd characteristics of these beautiful mutants. If there is one negative stigma attached to this mutation, it’s surely the potential that the one you get may have a genetic defect sometimes called “star-gazer’s disorder”.  The is called a lethal mutation since effects of the muation are not advantageous to the homozygote.  Star-gazer’s causes the snake to have limited or aberrant control over balance.  Similar neural disorders have been demonstrated in many animal species, and sometimes the cuase is viral.  Also, the neural symptoms of this mutation parallel that of animals with certain parasites that retard balance control. Star-gazer’s in corn snakes it not a contagious disease or pathogen, so the only way your snake’s will get it is through genetics.  It is inherited recessively, so some people that swear it is not lurking in the genes of their snakes, cannot really be certain of that – without controlled breeding trials.  Only by breeding a suspect corn to a star-gazer homozygote or heterozygote can one determine the presence of the gene.  Ideally, if you have any corns that MAY have this genetic mutation, you should breed it to a known homozygote.  Even that is not proof positive, given that you must have at least 20 progeny (of which 100% are not afflicted with the disorder) in order to be reasonably assured that it’s not in your snake’s genome.  This mutation was discovered in Sunkissed mutants, but it is not linked to the Sunkissed mutation.  It has been reported in several other non-Sunkissed corns (mutant or not).  Hence, if you discover you have a star-gazer mutant, it is recommended that you restrict it’s genes to creating “control” snakes that can be used by others to determine the presence or absence of the lethal gene in their snakes.  Even though it is not transmitted like a viral pathogen, the danger of the gene inflicting many other breeding lines of snakes is likely and potentially disastrous, in the absence of breeding trials.  Such trials are under way here at SMR (and with many breeders) and if/when we determine that any of our snakes are carriers of this lethal gene, they will be euthanized.  BTW, if you think you’re safe because you have been breeding sunkissed corns (or any other corn snake type) for over four generations without seeing any homozygotes of the disorder, think again.  If your first Sunkissed corn (or Okeetee or other type) was het for this mutation, it could take many generations for you to make the discovery.  Since each snake hands one copy of its’ genotype to each of its’ progeny, potentially half of each generation could be heterozygotes.  If you (or your customers) continually bred those heterozygotes to non genetic cariers of the mutation, only part of their progeny would inherit one copy of the mutation.  If you were lucky in not seeing any sign of the gene in over four generations (or potentially unlucky, in this case), it does not follow that none of your snakes are carrying a copy of the gene.  Until you pair two of them with a copy of the gene, it will continue to hide in the family tree.  Several years ago, I bought three female Okeetees from a breeder that is now out of the corn snake trade/hobby.  They were sold as being het for Sunkissed.  I bred one of the females to one of my best Extreme Okeetees and sold the babies as Okeetees.  Two years later, a customer called me to ask why some of the Okeetee babies she produced from the pair of Okeetees she got from me were doing the loopy, corkscrew locomotive thing.  Because I had never produced a star-gazer homozygote, I naively ruled that out, but upon reviewing acquisition records, I identified that the parents of her mutants were the Okeetees het for Sunkissed.  I immediately tracked down the other two customers that had purchased some of those, advising them that those snakes could be carriers of the lethal gene.  I then euthanized the three adult female Okeetees I purchased from the other breeder.  This lethal gene could be in hundreds or thousands of corns right now, and they don’t have to be Sunkissed corns.  Hence, if you ever discover that you have the gene, advise all customers that purchased its’ progeny, and if you’re not going to use the carriers for producing TEST snakes for others, I recommend that you humanely euthanize them.  By essentially eliminating them from the gene pool, you have take an important step toward eliminating this horrible gene.

Mixing the Sunkissed mutation with other color mutations and with pattern mutants is never disappointing.  Except for the grouchy demeanor, I don’t recall seeing a single mutation compound I didn’t like.  I know you’ll have fun mixing and matching them with other corn snake mutations and morphs.

 

What to expect:
As neonates, they are fairly colorful and most of them keep and intensify that orange coloration.  Many of the adults I’ve owned and received are nearly as orange as a Florida Orange (the citric fruit).  Some of mine actually have yellow inside some of their markings, separated from the ground color zones by deep black markings.  Most of the blotch marginal pattern only covers half of one scale each, rendering the vision of faint or pixelated pattern outlines outlines.  The head pattern on most is difficult to explain, so we’ll just say it’s “un-cornly” – but tasteful.  Some may be almost entirely Okeetee looking (partly because the mutation was discovered in Okeetees and partly because we’re infusing the gene into so many other genes, Okeetees are surely in the mix).  Some truly befit the mis-spelled namesake; a popular Orange Juice Type beverage.  Okay, now the bad news.  Most breeders hesitate to mention the scratch on the side of the new car you’re buying, but the only thing most Sunkissed mutants have in common (other than their beauty and genetic potential when bred to other mutants) is low regard for human beings.  We have a couple here that are predictable and “human friendly”, but more than 85% of all Sunkissed mutants rarely tolerate handling by humans.  I see that trait somewhat diluted when we outcross them to other mutants, but it would be wrong not to warn you that most Sunkissed corns are not the pets you’d freely hand to the kids. 


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.

Reverse Okeetee

Reverse Okeetee (aka: Amel Okeetee, Albino Okeetee)
Most Commonly Used Name: Reverse Okeetee
Mode of Genetic Inheritance: Recessive + Selective Variation
Morph Type: Selective variant of single recessive mutation
Eye Color:  Red pupils


Reverse Okeetees are variants of the basic Amel Mutation, so their only visual distinction from corns is their polygenetic color and pattern scheme.  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 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.  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. 


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.

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.

HypoPewter2013

Hypo Pewter (aka: Diffused Hypo Charcoal )
Most Commonly Used Name: Hypo Pewter
Mode of Genetic Inheritance: Recessive
Morph Type: Mutation Compound (Charcoal + Diffuse + Hypo)
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, Charcoal with the pattern mutation Diffuse and Hypo.  As with most morph compounds that include Diffuse, the Pewter mutation‘s color effect is greatly diffused (markings sometimes barely visible).  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 Hypo 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.

 

Phantom – aka: Hypo Charcoal

Phantom (aka: Hypo Charcoal )
Most Commonly Used Name: Phantom
Mode of Genetic Inheritance: Recessive
Morph Type: Mutation Compound (Charcoal & Hypo)
Eye Color: Black pupil & body ground colored iris

This compound morph results from combining the color mutations, Charcoal and Hypo.  In addition to the Hypo mutation having a paling affect on the Charcoal look, we were surprised to see that the yellow that slowly develops in many anery types from dietary retention of carotenoids – is exacerbated in Phantom mutants.  I estimate that adult Phantom corns have at least twice the volume of carotenoid yellow than their non-Hypo cousins. 

 

What to expect:
As neonates, Phantoms are just what you’d expect; pale versions of their Charcoal cousins.  Like Charcoals, often, the contrast between iris and pupil is slight, sometimes rendering an all black eye that appears not to have an iris at all.  Some adult Phantoms will have little or no carotenoid yellow, but most will have excessively more than most Charcoal corns.


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.

Opal

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.