I know this uses fish as an example, but this slide from my genetics course explains why splotchy paradox corns are unlikely to prove out—in most cases it’s probably a mutation that occurs early (like embryonic early) and only affects body/somatic cells and not sperm/eggs/gametic cells. If the mutation doesn’t touch the germ line cells, it isn’t heritable. Mutations that affect germ line cells only are “hidden” and won’t be apparent in the parent’s phenotype.

These can also be chimeric animals—two genetically dissimilar zygotes mashed together to form a single animal that expresses both types of pigmentation due to having two different populations of cells. This still is not heritable because the gametic cells will either carry the genes for pigmentation “A” or “B;” the gametes are for one or the other zygote, as if from two separate animals.

Of course, there is that sliver of possibility that paradox mutations can prove heritable. See: paradox albino Kenyan sand boas. The color on Palmetto corns is also apparently heritable. Those are essentially “paradox leucistic” animals. How does that work? That’s a headache. My guess would be that that the gametic cells carry the gene for a pure white leucistic corn snake, but somewhere in their genes is also an enhanced mutation repair system that tries to fix the mutation, though not very effectively—hence only “splotches” of normal pigmentation. If this is true, it actually opens up the (low) possibility that the gene(s) for enhanced mutation repair could come unlinked from the leucistic gene and bred into other types of pigment mutations, making “paradox” in itself a heritable trait. Of course this assumes the repair genes are able to target mutations other than leucism.

Science!

mod note: Makes sense! It was like, the other day, I was reading up on heterochromia in humans. It can be hereditary in some cases (it’s said to be an incomplete dominant/co-dominant trait), but it it’s normally caused by some type of eye injury, or a complication at birth.

Genetics is interesting stuff. But it can get complicated, for sure.

ophisjess:

I haven’t posted many pictures of my snakes lately. here is Lucifers tail… he is a reverse okeetee corn snake. 

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dandere-noxian:

fuckyeahballpythons:

This is my baby Goliath a couple months ago while I was still putting together his enclosure. I was reading up on their natural habitat and looking for a good hide for him and I read that they like snug hides and in the wild will often use burrows from prey animals. So here’s Goliath tooling around his pvc pipe fittings I picked up for him for his cage. Drilled holes to ventilate and allow drainage. Now, months later, this little guy adores his tubes. They aren’t glued together so can easily be popped apart for snake-retrieval and cleaning. They’re cheap to buy and easy to clean, even going in the dish-washer and I know my little ball loves them.

That’s actually a really interesting use for PVC pipe although you might want to go have gone a little bigger, like enough so your hand can fit in, but makes for a neat additive to an enclosure! 

Great idea. I need to do this.

This works great for corns, too!