SnakeSmithS
SnakeSmithS
Over the last year or so I have noticed a proliferation of corns for sale that are labeled as "ZigZag", or sometimes "Aztec", that do not to me personally, appear to fit that description (see attached photo). While I realize that this "morph" is line-bred, or perhaps polygenic, and thus it is not as straight-forward as being able to say a particular snake possesses, or does not posses a recessive mutation (e.g., amelanism), I was wondering if people on this forum have opinions about what should be called a ZigZag, and what should not. Specifically, I'm curious if we as a community can come to a consensus about how much aberrant pattern an individual must possess to warrant being labeled as "ZigZag" or "Aztec". It seems as if some snakes are being sold as Zigzag if they have ANY amount of aberrant pattern (i.e., even a single set of connected dorsal blotches). The names of the sellers have not been included in the photos as my intention here is not to "call-out" or challenge any particular seller or breeder. I just wanted to provide some examples of what we are discussing. Personally, I'm in favor of not referring to any corn with less than approximately 50% aberrant pattern a ZigZag or perhaps calling them "partial ZigZag". I realize there is absolutely no way to "enforce" whatever consensus we may arrive at, but because individuals that have nearly completely aberrant patterns command higher prices, it seems like some categories might make sense. I look forward to hearing what folks on this forum have to say on this topic.