Let's play.....Name that snake!!!!!

[ali-loves-bugs]

Ok... so this guy brought in his snake to the pet store I work in. It's in a flea market. People walk in with the stangest things on their shoulders. He tried to get it out of the bag, and I only got to see the head and a few glimses of the rest of the body. He said just the smell of the rats had him (the snake) biting at the bag. Anyway he said he's had it for a few years and that it was a ____?___ ___?____ rock python and extremely rare and expensive. I can't remember what else he called it, but it was the most beautiful snake I have ever seen. Seemed to be a somewhat solid color.. no obvious color patterns, but it was a very, shimmery, irridescent BLUE/Gray. My 13 yr old daughter, who was there working with me, and I were going to look up some more pictures of them online, but aren't having any luck because neither of us remembers what kind of rock python he said it was. Anyone have a clue with the description I have given???

Thanks in advance!!!

 

[sick4x4]

ummm without the scientific name its kinda hard, since everyone under the sun has a different common name for many of the same species....as for as RP go, you need permits to get these soo im told..... so that might be the rarity you are hearing about...are you sure it wasn't morelia carinata??? the prices on these are through the roof..... sooo who knows lol....

hey are you sure its a RP?? since they are more earth tones then the patters you described??? maybe its an Reticulated python your thinking of, much prettier in my opinion
wayne

 

[LaRiz]

Like sick4x4 said, it's hard without the scientific, and even hard without a pic, but we can give a few guesses. Could it have been a morph of the african rock python? How 'bout Liasis albertisii (not sure if these are still in the genus Leiopython), Liasis savuensis, Liasis mackloti, Liasis macklotti dunni, Liasis fuscus, or Liasis olivaceous, to start with? I'm trying to think of pythons without pattern.
Also, Morelia carinata, I would think, are probably non-existant in US collections, as they are even rare in their Australian range. Morelia oenpelliensis, which is actually called a rock python, are probably not is US collections as well, but who knows?

 

[pitbulllady]

The description you gave doesn't match any of the "rock pythons"; I've seen patternless morphs of both the African Rock(Python sebae} and the Burmese, which is sometimes called a "Burmese Rock Python", and the Indian Python, which is a protected and Endangered species, is also sometimes stuck with the "rock python" moniker, but none of these are blue-grey in coloration and aren't particularly irridescent, either. The description sounds more like that of a Macklott's Python, Liasis macklotti, which usually are very irridescent, more or less patternless(except for scattered small freckles only a shade or two darker than the background) and notoriously prone to biting. Most do have a silvery or greyish cast to the brownish background color, which I suppose would look blue under certain lighting conditions.

pitbulllady

 

[LoganVivisected]

My guess would be whats called a "genetic stripe" rock python. Solid colors, can be grey, dorsal stripping is usually black though, and if it was going into shed that would give it a blue/grey hue. Could also be a plain "patternless" rock, that was just played up. Both can be rather expensive, and usually just serious collectors have them, but anyone could get one with no problem. Ive got a friend with several of each, one being about 20ft.

And sick4x4, you dont need any permits for rocks...at least not in NC, they are pretty standard stock for most exotic breeders/shops here. Infact you dont need permits for any of the top 5 here in NC. (Retics, Anacondas, Burms, Rocks, and Scrubs, respectivly).

 

[sick4x4]

*LOGAN....are you sure??? i thought they were now protected??? if not kool, i didn't know and thanks for the heads up....most big constrictors are allowed here in cali, i just wasn't sure about the protected ones....

 

[LoganVivisected]

Positive, we just sold out in my shop actually, and jason and chrissy of sterlingexotics, (local constrictor/gecko/beardie breeders), carry them occasionally and have quite a few in their personal collection, plus at the show this weekend i saw about as many designer rocks as retics. I imagine NCARK has a lot to do with the availability of exotics here, but all top 5 are completely legal for the time being. I personally dont know about other states though, florida is getting strict, so it wouldnt suprise me if cali is too, because the snakes can survive in those areas fine, but here they cannot survive our winters, so fish and game arent as concerned about them as they are with croc sps...thats what we have the most trouble with and what most of my animal control calls are concerning, we are haveing to take care of two alligators and a caiman at our shelter right now actually.

 

[Ophidio]

Was it like this?

From what you're describing with the blue/grey iridescence it sounds like a
Sunbeam Snake (Xenopeltis unicolor) which are not pythons at all. They are a fairly small species which spends all its time underground and is difficult to care for.

Rainbow boas are also iridescent, but they are shades of brown, red and orange.