Sometimes the SOTD of our web site features snakes we did not produce. These 2013 hatchling corns were produced by Graham Criglow of
Strange Cargo Exotics. These beautiful ZAGTEC corns were selectively perfected by Kasi Lodrigue in Louisiana. As far as I know, she and KJ were the first to use the name
Zagtec, so they may well have been the originators of this accurate label. Accurate because their phenotype is not exactly Zig Zag and not much like Aztecs. Blending those two morph names seems the perfect label for these beauties.
Corn breeders were making these over 15 years ago, so they are nothing new to corn snake herpetoculture, but since they are not pattern mutants, it sometimes frustratingly takes many generations of selective-breeding to attain success in reliable reproduction of the target pheontype. The only mutations these two corns possess are their respective colors, Amel and Anery. They owe their patterns to the mechanics of
polygenetics (interactions between genes, vs. gene mutations that so dramatically express phenotype). In different words, few polygenetic productions in corns have gene expression as dramatic as gene mutations, but Zagtecs are surely the most striking of polygenic productions in corns? Perfect examples demonstrate this amazing pattern from neck to tail-tip. Graham produces many colors of Zagtecs, and we’re proud to have a few of his 2013 hatchlings. Way to go, Kasi and Graham.
