My Cali King!!!

[Velvet]

Hi Guys!!!

My best friend sent me pics of these little guys that have just hatched out. I totally fell in love with the bottom one! My friend said that IF it was a male, I could buy him. If a female, they were going to keep it because its so nice!

But its a BOY!!!!! So I am getting him... Still have to think of names, I like Pongo because it looks like a dalmation. lol

Not sure what "morph" this guy is...mom is highly abberant, dad is a high white....(see pic)

So is he a high-white abberant? lol

 

[tstephe3]

NIce! Congrats.. Very pretty..

 

[Jenstar]

It's a beautiful little boy. I love his pattern.

 

[Nanci]

He's gorgeous!!! My Chocolee has split bands like that in some parts. Calis are so cool! Reptiles magazine just had a really good article about patterns- can you get that there?

 

[Velvet]

Thanks guys! I have almost officially named him "Chester"...I think it suits him! lol

 

[Nanci]

I don't know what I'd call him. Not high white. Aberrant banded black and white? Aberrant banded 50-50?? I _know_ I read something about the striped tail of the high whites meaning something locality-wise, but I can't remember! I will look when I get home.

 

[rolandslf]

Total awesome Meg, Chester fits.

Last year I got into Milks, maybe it is time to get into Kings.

Ciao

 

[Velvet]

THanks guys!!!

Nanci, my friend did mention something about some kings being referred to by % of white...His dad was bought as a 90% high white...

He's not really banded though is he? Maybe Abberant spotted black and white 50/50? lol

Oh that is VERY interesting about the locality and stripe on tail...I am very keen to learn more about these guys!!

 

[Toshiro]

What a cool pattern. Very dalmation-ish

 

[Nanci]

I think the two basic patterns are banded and striped. Your guy has the one pretty normal banded clutch mate, and another abberant one.

 

[Velvet]

My bad, Thanks Nanci!!!

Finding this so interesting!

 

[starsevol]

He is just gorgeous!
I have a thing for aberrant patterns and his is really cool!
Chester is a nice name...but he DOES look like a Pongo!

 

[Nanci]

This is what I read about striped tails: (Actually, it's more about black-and-white)

High white Calis display a striped tail (except 100% patternless), desert banded 50/50 do not. (They have a banded tail). Steve Osborne began developing the 50/50 black-and-white desert phase in the 1980's, starting with a pair of unusual 50/50 black-and-white animals from the Mohave Desert. After a number of generations, these snakes were bred to specimens from Joshua Tree, CA; Clark Co., NV; and San Felipe, Mixico. As a result of this selective-breeding program, the percentage of white markings along the length of the body increased significantly. This is a primary characteristic of the animals derived from this line. The resulting black-band pattern can be more accurately described as black splotches of spots, and this pattern phase is usually described as a percentage of white to black, such as 70/30. Animals from this lineage usually have a temperment more docile.

(From an article in Reptiles by Maria Heidkamp Scully).

 

[Eriathiel]

Congrats I'm so jealous! I've been trying to find the perfect Cali King for a while - I like the striped ones though!

He's a handsome little sucker, hope he does well for you!

 

[tricksterpup]

Holy Crap Meg those are some amazing snakes. I have seen any Cal kings like that around here, those spotted ones are just down right amazing.