 Genetic
Morph: Albino ( T - ), Amelanistic
Status: Proven
Simple Recessive
When: 1992
By Whom: Bob Clark
In
1989, I became aware of the possibility
of the existence of an amelanistic ball
python (Python regius). My friend Olaf Pronk,
then of The Hague, Netherlands, had received
word via Telex, that the snake had been
captured in Ghana. I had heard this type
of rumor before, and in every case the snake
apparently did not exist. We obtained a
picture of this animal and started negotiations
to acquire it. In May of that year, I received
the snake, a young male about 26 inches
long. It was bright lemon yellow and clean
white. The snake's high contrast, bright
color and small adult size created much
interest and anticipation among the snake-buying
public. The young albino was imported as
a nonfeeding, wild-caught individual with
all the associated problems and worry that
go with such an animal-especially a ball
python.
The snake fed voluntarily
in due time, and while it was thought to
be too small to breed, it did so that fall.
The heterozygous generation hatched in the
spring of 1990. These snakes grew quickly,
bred and laid eggs that hatched when they
themselves were only 2 years old. I remember
clearly the morning during May of 1992.
I checked the maternally incubated clutch
to find the female coiled loosely around
the eggs, exposing one egg with a pink and
yellow head protruding. Two years of anticipation
had ended! I was fortunate to avoid any
jubilation-related injury to myself in the
short private celebration that followed-it
was a very good day. Expensive and desirable,
these snakes have held their price at $7,500.
On
the night of August 18, 1994, my breeding
facility was burglarized, and the majority
of my colony of these animals were stolen.
The thieves took the founding male albino
and a group of heterozygous females each
incubating eggs. Some of the eggs were due
to hatch in a matter of days. In spite of
the loss, I still maintain a small viable
breeding group of albino ball pythons.
The
albino ball python info is reprinted from
REPTILES magazine March, 1996.
Text
by Bob Clark
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