Joejr14, thanks for your input. I have thought it was interesting that Monty is only orange towards his head and then turns a gray/tan color about 1/4 of the way down. So when I saw Costello was like that too it made me wonder. Is it just because they are hatchlings? The pics of the gorgeous adult Abbott's okeetees are much oranger than Costello and Monty. All the photos I've seen of normals don't look a lot like Monty to me, however if he oranges up a lot as he grows then he might look more like that. Now that I know what an Abbott's okeetee is, I don't think he is one. I just thought the color similarity was striking.
It's kind of funny, really, before I saw Monty I'd never even heard of a corn snake. I was just standing in the reptile section of a local pet store, the salesperson brought him out, and it was love at first sight! LOL Now I didn't buy him then, I came home and discussed it with my family (the kids were thrilled!) and did a lot of research before I got him. But I really didn't, nor do I now, know much about colors. I guess I could study corn snake morphs for years before I really felt confident saying what color a snake is. The pet store told me he came from a local breeder (?) so it's possible that he's not a normal and no one at the pet store is an expert in corn morphs. Unlikely tho possible. It's also possible that he's not really a boy! :shrugs:
Whatever Monty is, we love him. I don't think he's any less interesting or beautiful than some of the more exotic/extreme colors. I realized after I posted to this thread that it might sound like I was hoping Monty was something he's not, and I don't, really I'm just trying to learn more, having jumped into the confusing world of trying to understand all they different types of corns that are out there.