Re: Is scalation the definitive identifier?

Posted by Fred Albury (Aztec Reptiles) on March 15, 2002 at 15:38:21:

In Reply to: Is scalation the definitive identifier? posted by Beatrice on March 15, 2002 at 15:18:07:

: Obviously the Eastern and Texas Indigos are never going to be observed in the field together to cause confusion, but are there other, more obvious differences?

: I’ve looked at all of the photos in the indigo gallery and lots of other places on the web; the white and red chinned Easterns as compared with the Texas prompted this question. I was looking at a field guide (I’m a librarian, I should be able to say which guide I was looking at, but I don’t remember) which showed the scalation differences between the Eastern and the Texas with detailed diagrams of the head. The photos in the gallery weren’t made with the purpose of displaying this level of detail.

: I’ve become far more interested in the details of the Drymarchons than I expected. Obsession provoking, indeed!

Beatrice,

Regrettably NO, as I have seen Drymarchon in the last year whose scalation pattern and count did not mirror either Melanarus or Couperi. Luckily this snake was sold to a young kid that had no intention of ever breeding it.
Obviously , color and pattern also are factors in determinging if the snake you are looking at is of a specific type. Again, unfortunately there
is quite a bit of variability among specimens of any given type of drymarchon. I have held snakes that people told me were unicoors and had to SQUINT to even come close to seeing what they were trying to show me. Its kind of neat though, especially since so much work has been done with boas, pythons and many other snakes, to have one that is rather vague. Welcome to obsession land!!Go to my webnpage:http://www.renegadereptiles.com/indigo.htm

For more info.

*cheers*

Fred

Follow Ups:

• I'm the one driving your hit counter Beatrice 03/15/02 (1)
  • Dang, and here I was thinking I was becoming popular!! Fred Albury (Aztec Reptiles) 03/15/02 (0)

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: : Obviously the Eastern and Texas Indigos are never going to be observed in the field together to cause confusion, but are there other, more obvious differences? : : I’ve looked at all of the photos in the indigo gallery and lots of other places on the web; the white and red chinned Easterns as compared with the Texas prompted this question. I was looking at a field guide (I’m a librarian, I should be able to say which guide I was looking at, but I don’t remember) which showed the scalation differences between the Eastern and the Texas with detailed diagrams of the head. The photos in the gallery weren’t made with the purpose of displaying this level of detail. : : I’ve become far more interested in the details of the Drymarchons than I expected. Obsession provoking, indeed! : Beatrice, : Regrettably NO, as I have seen Drymarchon in the last year whose scalation pattern and count did not mirror either Melanarus or Couperi. Luckily this snake was sold to a young kid that had no intention of ever breeding it. : Obviously , color and pattern also are factors in determinging if the snake you are looking at is of a specific type. Again, unfortunately there : is quite a bit of variability among specimens of any given type of drymarchon. I have held snakes that people told me were unicoors and had to SQUINT to even come close to seeing what they were trying to show me. Its kind of neat though, especially since so much work has been done with boas, pythons and many other snakes, to have one that is rather vague. Welcome to obsession land!!Go to my webnpage:http://www.renegadereptiles.com/indigo.htm : For more info. : *cheers* : Fred

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