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Posted by KJ / KJUN Snakehaven on May 09, 2002 at 18:56:33:
Howdy guys,
I was looking at the following post from about a month ago that someone brought to my attention: http://www.kingsnake.com/forum/rat/messages/10105.html. Let me point out that the attached image (if it comes through) is from the original post by “Don on April 10, 2002.” It seems to be his picture. Either way, it isn’t MY picture, and I am not trying to take credit for it in the least. Please refer to the original post, too (URL given here and below).
Anyway, I noticed someone else had the same thought I did: “Dang, that looks like an obsolete.” However, I can go even one step further: it looks almost EXACTLY like the naturally occurring Texas Rat X Black Rat intergrades that I used to collect, own, and breed from north-central Louisiana! Granted, this snake has a skinnier body form that those guys did; however, who hasn’t seen skinny or fat snakes.
What is worse, the first time I heard of this snake, it was said to be brought into a pet store by a guy in Arkansas who caught it under his couch as an ADULT snake! Now, I’m hearing rumors that it is coming out of Kansas and was originally caught as a neonate. Does anyone know for sure what the straight story is? (BTW, I’ve been misled and sold hybrid snakes as pure deals in the past, too. I’m not pointing fingers and accusing anyone of being a bad-guy – we can ALL make mistakes one way or another.)
Forget that for a second since it is irrelevant to the snake’s identification (but if anyone knows how/where it was definitely caught and at what age, I’d almost offer to kiss them!) Anyway, “Don” (in the earlier post) says as follows: “As a hatchling it was colored more like an Anerythristic Corn, but over the past few years, it got darker and lost most of its white/gray.” How does that really differ from the natural color changes in black rats? To me, it sounds pretty dang close to normal! Most of the genetically melanistic snakes out there that are being produced in the herp trade do NOT follow this type of color change, either. Add in the fact that this snake may have come out of the lower part of Arkansas (whether as an adult or as a neonate), and you have what, to me at least, sounds just like a normal, naturally occurring obsolete intergrade!
I won’t reject the possibility that it is a naturally occurring (RARE!!!) hybrid between an emoryi and an obsolete from Kansas (or Arkansas for that matter), either. Since I haven’t seen one of those, I can’t say that it does or doesn’t look like one. However, from the vague image posted, it sure could be one if they look as I image they should! (Is it legal now it collect and sell WC Kansas snakes? Did anyone check?)
In the earlier post, there was a request for better images, images of the ventral patter (especially the tail), and/or images of the head. Does any have access to these? Mr. Don, could you please provide them?
I’d sure hate some misidentification problems inadvertently put hybrid genes into the emoryi lineages….especially the albino and other lines Don Soderberg (a different Don from the one originally posting this image) works so hard with!
Thanks for reading and giving your thoughts on the matter,
KJ
