Dark Charcoals

[Shiari]

So.... at 16 months I think Onyx has officially entered the darkening stage because uh... :bowdown:

I'm hoping to get some high quality pictures this weekend instead of this 'oh you shed overnight' quick snap. But I was so stunned to see the change that I had to share.

 

[hypnoctopus]

Wow, that is indeed very dark! I like it!

 

[Caryl]

Okay, I know onyx comes in lots of colors but your Onyx is headed for classic black onyx! Very nice indeed.

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[Shiari]

Neither the weather nor the snakes were particularly cooperative, but I'd say they're still maturing nicely. Actually just 14 months old.

Onyx:

Coal:

Marquina:

Jet:

 

[blacktip]

Onyx is sooo dark already. And Jet's diffusion is still awe-inspiring

 

[Caryl]

Coming along so nicely! They're pretty babies, for certain.

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[Shiari]

One of the few times I regret growing my kiddos slow. Onyx and Coal are definitely the darkest of my holdbacks. Their offspring in 2026 are going to be incredible.

 

[crackerhead]

They are lovely and so saturated. It would be fun to see them in a side by side comparison with the Black Diamond snakes. What do their bellies look like? I'm looking forward to seeing the offspring.

 

[Shiari]

Some of them have extra black on the belly, and some do not. All of my holdbacks so far are masque as well. From what I've seen of the black diamonds, they're currently darker as a whole, but mine seem to be more uniform in color. Darker coloration will come with time and more selective breeding. And I also have a gorgeous deep red, high expression pied-sided male to add into the lineage once I get them consistently dark where I want them.
For the belly photo below, the 'typical' masque belly belongs to the lighter male, Coal, in the previous photo. The heavily marked belly belongs to Onyx.

 

[hypnoctopus]

Love that black belly! I have a cinder tessera with a similar looking belly. I'll have to find a pic.

 

[Shiari]

Got pictures with most of Onyx' relatives! Larune is a half-sister through their mother, Gabby. Tourmaline is Onyx' niece through her half-brother Aurelian (a lavender now owned by a friend) through their father Gallium. Jet is the lightest colored, but his diffusion is incredible and he's nearly one solid color.

 

[crackerhead]

This may have already been address but, have you noticed a difference in melanin saturation based on sex?

 

[SnakeSmithS]

Very cool project, and the results so far are beautiful!

 

[Shiari]

This may have already been address but, have you noticed a difference in melanin saturation based on sex?

As a whole, the females seem to be darker than the males. Tourmaline is a bit of an outlier because she isn't from the main line, which is the maternal lineage.

 

[SnakesofShadowLake]

Thank you! I poked Don about them since the matriarch was from SMR lines and he was uh.... impressed by them. O_O
And he said that he does still have some lines that throw dark babies so I'm to pester him up through hatching time so he can set aside a good male for me!

That’s got to feel like a feather in your cap! This is a stunning project. Looking forward to more dark charcoals.

 

[Shiari]

Poor lighting... but... little Coal managed to catch Larune last night and I finally have my first dark-to-dark onyx-line pairing. Cannot wait to see what their babies look like!

 

[SnakesofShadowLake]

Thanks for sharing. We can’t wait to see what comes of the match!