SMR Archive

The Blizzard corn is the finished product of combining the two recessive color mutations, Amel and Charcoal.  If you pair a Blizzard with a non Blizzard, Amel, or Charcoal, in the absence of any other mutations in these snakes, 100% of the progeny will be common corns that are heterozygous for Amel and Charcoal.  By then breeding two of these F¹ snakes together, you will get approximately one Blizzard for every 16 hatchlings — in addition to some wild-types, Amels , and Charcoals.

What to expect:
As hatchlings, Blizzards can be nearly patternless, mildly patterned (dirty white or cream on white or pink ground zones), or heavily patterned, but no yellow will be present.  As adults, some Blizzards mature to be completely white and virtually pattern-less (although pattern is usually obvious in strong light or flash photography).  Most adult Blizzards at this time show obvious yellow which is the result of carotenoid retention from diet – which slowly manifests throughout maturity.  Early in corn snake herpetoculture, the majority of Blizzard corns lacked most (or all) such yellow, but through subsequent breeding to change the patterns of Blizzards, the trait for manifesting yellow was infused into many genetic families.  Breeding trials are ongoing — in an effort to create family lines that are devoid of this color feature.  This should result in the general appearance of white and pattern-less corns.

Genetically speaking, Fluorescent corns are Amel corns that have been selectively bred to promote their target look (red or orange blotches on an orange background, with separating white blotch margins), but we have taken this to a new and better version by selectively toward stretching the markings from blotches to bands.  Since the only gene mutation they possess is Amel, the obvious distinction between Banded Fluorescents and the classic Fluorescent corn is the obvious banding.

What to expect:

Many generations were spent in refining the beauty of the Sunglow Motley, but when we first introduced this mutation compound back in the 1990s, we didn’t realize what made Sun Motleys so much more colorful than all other Amel Motleys in the hobby.  At first, we believed that they owed their deeply colorful distinction to only two mutations; Amel and Motley and that they have been selectively-bred toward the goal of deeply saturated red coloration and classically orderly Motley pattern.  For years, we were helpless to explain why the colors in this line were so deeply saturated and why they were redder than other genetic lines.  In 2009, one of our friends that wondered the same thing–and conducted breeding trials to determine what caused the intense colors–came to the conclusion that SMR Sunglow Motleys possess the added mutation of what is sometimes referred to as Red Mask or Red Factor.  It is thought to be inherited in dominant fashion. 

If an animal that is dominant to wild-type receives just one DNA copy of mutation, it usually demonstrates a degree of that mutation; in this case, enhanced overall red/orange coloration that is much more pronounced than Amel Motleys without one (or both) copies of the Red Mask mutation.  These are called Visual Hets and that’s what 95% of all the Sun Motleys we’ve sold over the past two decades have been.  Then, in the second successive familial generation, (F²) some of the progeny have essentially twice the color saturation as the others.  Those are homozygotes (sometimes referred to as the SUPER FORM of the mutation) and we’ve only recently recognized those.  Therefore, whether the SMR Sun Motley you acquire is a Visual Het or a Super Form, expect deeply red/orange coloration with few (if any) white scales showing.

Comparison of classic Sunglow Motley (left) and Super Sunglow Motley (right).  One has less red because it is considered a VISUAL HET with only one of the paired gene copies of Red Factor, while the redder of the two demonstrates that is is a homozygote, having both of the paired RF gene copies.  

Some people mistakenly think that if a Motley has orderly and consistent circles down the back (as most Sun Motleys do), it’s a Hurricane Motley.  Below is a demonstration of distinction between a Hurricane Amel Motley and a Sunglow Motley.

Many generations were spent in refining the beauty of the Sunglow Motley, but when we first introduced this mutation compound back in the 1990s, we didn’t realize what made Sun Motleys so much more colorful than all other Amel Motleys in the hobby.  At first, we believed that they owed their deeply colorful distinction to only two mutations; Amel and Motley and that they have been selectively-bred toward the goal of deeply saturated red coloration and classically orderly Motley pattern.  For years, we were helpless to explain why the colors in this line were so deeply saturated and why they were redder than other genetic lines.  In 2009, one of our friends that wondered the same thing–and conducted breeding trials to determine what caused the intense colors–came to the conclusion that SMR Sunglow Motleys possess the added mutation of what is sometimes referred to as Red Mask or Red Factor.  It is thought to be inherited in dominant fashion. 

If an animal receives just one DNA copy of mutation that is dominant to wild-type, it usually demonstrates a degree of that mutation; in this case, enhanced overall red/orange coloration that is much more pronounced than Amel Motleys without one (or both) copies of the Red Mask mutation.  These are called Visual Hets and that’s what 95% of all the Sun Motleys we’ve sold over the past two decades have been.  Then, in the second successive familial generation, (F²) some of the progeny have essentially twice the color saturation as the others.  Those are homozygotes (sometimes referred to as the SUPER FORM of the mutation) and we’ve only recently recognized those.  Therefore, whether the SMR Sun Motley you acquire is a Visual Het or a Super Form, expect deeply red/orange coloration with few (if any) white scales showing.  

Comparison of classic Sunglow Motley (left) and Super Sunglow Motley (right).  One has less red because it is considered a VISUAL HET with only one of the paired gene copies of Red Factor, while the redder of the two demonstrates that is is a homozygote, having both of the paired RF gene copies.  

Some people mistakenly think that if a Motley has orderly and consistent circles down the back (as most Sun Motleys do), it’s a Hurricane Motley.  Below is a demonstration of distinction between a Hurricane Amel Motley and a Sunglow Motley.

Most Honey corns are aptly named for their namesake with overal coloration resembling bee honey. Combining Sunkissed (the second hypomelanistic mutation to be discovered) with Caramel, Honey corns have soft and beautiful colors. Review  SUNKISSED corns for more information about the distinguishing mutation that makes Honey Corns so appealing.  Some features the Honey inherits from the Sunkissed mutant side of its family tree include:

1. Generally grouchy demeanor toward humans.
2. Head pattern that is odd and atypical for being a corn snake.
3. Often elongated markings that are sometimes spaced farther apart than most corns.
4. Atypical belly pattern; usually less than most corns and spaced sometimes oddly and not in the classic checkerboard pattern of most corns.  Breeding Sunkissed (and therefore Honey) mutants to other corn snake mutations and morphs often promotes aberrant pattern from the SK or HO mutants of such pairings.  Many SK and HO Motleys have considerably more belly markings, which is atypical since classic Motley mutants seldom have a single belly marking.   

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 SG 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 who 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 Sunkissed or Honey mutation compound I didn’t like.  I know you’ll have fun mixing and matching them with other corn snake mutations and morphs.

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.

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 and the new Red Factor mutation.  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 Factor 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. Essentially, the difference between a Cayenne Fire and a Fire would be less yellow (therefore orange), rendering a red on red albino corn snake.  Expect dramatically reduced white margins, compared to most non-pattern Amel type mutants. 

The snake pictured was posed on a U.S. one-dollar-bill for color reference. 

What to expect:
Many Fire hatchlings look like little more than some 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.

Extreme Reverse Okeetees are variants of the basic Amel Mutation, but with the polygenic impact from the Buckskin Okeetees. Therefore, their only visual distinction from Amel corns is their polygenetic color and pattern scheme.  Genetically speaking, like their cousins, Extreme 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.  Note that the ground color zones of Extreme Reverse Okeetees run toward yellow, relative to their Reverse Okeetee cousins. 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.  The blotch margins are often very wide, compared to most Okeetee and Amel Okeetee types. 

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.

 

Two Extreme Reverse Okeetees (Amel Extreme Buckskin Okeetees) pictured with a Buckskin Okeetee sibling on 06/10/13. 

 

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.

Cotton Candy Snow (aka: Cotton Candy Corn) 

Most Commonly Used Name: Cotton Candy Snow
Mode of Genetic Inheritance: Recessive & Dominant
Morph Type: Mutation Compound ( Anery & Amel) + Dominant Red Mask Mutation (Strawberry?)

Eye color:  RED pupils

The Cotton Candy Snows are part of the complex I call CORAL SNOWS.  That is to say, when we cannot denote heritage to respective Salmon, Neon, Bubblegum, Cotton Candy or Champagne lines, we generically call them Coral Snows.  Named by Graham Criglow for the first Cotton Candy Snow’s intensely pink coloration, which it largely lost when it was fully mature.  He created that snake via crossing a South Mountain Reptiles Salmon Snow with a JMG Coral Snow.  

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.

Pairing any two of these popular lines (and other similar lines) will render snows that demonstrate exaggeration of the pink or coral colors.  Instead of Strawberry (because enough evidence points to more than one gene causing this coloration) we generally call the gene Red Mask or Red Factor.  Therefore, you could call any of these lines simply, Coral Snows.  

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.  . 

I spoke to Graham before publishing these pictures, and he agreed it was a necessary demonstration of how they change with maturity.  Many of our most colorful corn snake mutations have what we call a COLOR PRIME age, where, for about a year, they look as good as they will ever look.  That age is what we’d relatively call teen-age, as evidenced here with just one year of maturity between the above picture on the left and the above picture on the right.  With Coral types, after their color-prime phase, the deep pinks tend to give way to a more orange coloration.  Still beautiful mutants, their color potential has much to offer compounds with other color and pattern mutations of corn snakes.   

Posted on January 17, 2021January 17, 2021Categories Morphs