Axanthic Great Basin Gopher Snake

Colubrids
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This is going to be a bit of a long project and will require breeding trials to ensure that I am correct in my assumption.

Based on feedback from other herpers and pituophis keepers it would appear that I have collected an Axanthic Pituophis deserticola (CA Native Reptile Breeding Permit # NRP-1166)

If I am able to prove this mutation out It would represent a very neat step forward in gopher snake morph breeding projects as well as gopher locality morph projects.

I had been road cruising all night And due to a pressure front had only found a couple of long nose snakes. On my last lap on my favorite road in the northern great basin I spotted this snake. Given that you’re driving all night and blinking as little as possible all night road cruising really wears out your eyes. I assumed that my eyes were just burned out and I wasn’t seeing the color tones were perhaps that my lights were too bright. I went ahead and put it in A bucket for a closer look in the morning. When I woke up and checked the bucket, I was pleasantly surprised to find a ‘silver’ gopher snake :exploding_head:

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Just an absolute stunner of an animal, I hope the project goes well and this proves out for you! Almost makes me want to work with Gopher snakes, if only I had the space.

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My goodness :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:! I would be hooting and hollering with the possibly one this. It is so cool that you were able to collect it from the wild.

I did have the opportunity to be part of the team that was going to breed and do the trials with the Indy gene in boas. I couldn’t take on all the animals I wanted to but thankfully I have some involvement into the Indy project.

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That’s an awesome looking snake.
Good luck with the project! =D

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Thanks guys, I’m really excited. Or I will be once I get all the different stuff I’ve produced recently established :joy:

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Well. The timeline of this project certainly changed over the last two weeks. It would appear that we have found a decent population that about half of displays this phenotype.

Between a close friend and myself we had a couple good weeks in a row on this road. He and his girlfriend collected 1.1 about a mile away, I had this male but I was able to collect another

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female this weekend.

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That’s exciting! The light, faded look on the recent addition is really unique looking.

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