Strange Kingsnake Question

[sarcare]

I have an odd question to ask about my cali king. She has a very shiny black/brown head, but the rest of her body is matte and hardly shiny at all, at least not to the same degree. Her skin is smooth and clear all over, so it doesn't feel like she hasn't shed or anything, but it seems strange to have SUCH a super shiny glossy head and a much different look the rest of her body. I wanted to get pics, but she is wicked squirmy and it is hard to capture a really dark color like she has (she's an almost solid chocolate, just a shiny head)

 

[DeadMouse]

Not to sound sarcastic or rude, but what exactly is the question?

 

[whippet]

My guess is Sarcare is asking if anyone has heard of this or has one similar. I would say sorta the same of my banana king. THe head scales are larger and seem shiny because of the larger surface area. Also some skin shows through on the body scales and the skin is Matte. So that would be my guess.

 

[vetusvates]

Sarah, I've never thought about it, but I have examined many snakes very close up. With very different scales. Growing up, I always had a keeled green snake, speckled kingsnake, or Texas rat snake around. The kingsnakes I just never remember as shiny. An adaptive reason? And keeled greensnakes are not shiny. Stongly keeled seems to go along with "not shiney". No Louisiana pit vipers are shiney.
I was trying to think of a shiney snake. Maybe a Mud Snake. Or Indigo. Or Coral Snake, yeah, they are kind of shiney.
Rainbow Boa!!!

 

[tstephe3]

Yup.. Rainbow Boa Eric! Lol

 

[DeadMouse]

My guess is Sarcare is asking if anyone has heard of this or has one similar. I would say sorta the same of my banana king. THe head scales are larger and seem shiny because of the larger surface area. Also some skin shows through on the body scales and the skin is Matte. So that would be my guess.

Yeah, I can probably infer as to what Sarcare was wanting to know based on what she was stating, I'm not totally daft yet.

But I'd rather get a definitive clear cut question so I can try to better answer her to the best of my ability (whatever that may be). I guess having been married for a number of years, I've learned not to assume what any woman infers or means unless specifically stated as I never get it right anyways and having done so almost always gets me in trouble.

 

[sarcare]

:awcrap::awcrap::awcrap: I'm sorry I wasn't clear! Though I did preface that it was a strange question, there was warning!

I just wanted to know if it was normal to have a shiny head on a snake and a much less shiny body! My other snakes seem to have equal shininess--it sounds stupider now, sorry I asked

Eric, I like your explanation, that the larger scales on her head make it more shiny then the smaller ones on the body.

I was just looking at her today and the contrast was really striking, and it made me wonder why it was like that.

 

[Hypancistrus]

My guess is Sarcare is asking if anyone has heard of this or has one similar. I would say sorta the same of my banana king. THe head scales are larger and seem shiny because of the larger surface area. Also some skin shows through on the body scales and the skin is Matte. So that would be my guess.

Agree with Tara. My lovely girl is fairly shiny all over, but her head is particularly lustrous.

I guess having been married for a number of years, I've learned not to assume what any woman infers or means unless specifically stated as I never get it right anyways and having done so almost always gets me in trouble.

D'oh!! :cheers:

 

[wade]

You sure it isn't having a bad shed?