So if the snake carries one copy of the Amel gene that’s “on” and one that’s “off,” then the snake would be considered heterozygous (hetero = different) for Amel. In this example, the Amel gene on both chromosomes is “off” and the snake is homozygous for wild type, and they’ll have melanin like the majority of corn snakes found in their native range. If the snake is a wild type (normal) with no amelanistic traits, that would be represented like this, with plus signs: a+a+ Here both copies of the Amel gene are “on” and the snake is considered homozygous (homo = same) for Amel and will appear amelanistic. A prime example is the Amel gene, which eliminates all melanin (black pigment) on a corn snake and results in yellow, red, and white snakes with pink eyes.Īn Amel corn snake’s genes would be represented like this: aaaa A recessive trait requires two copies of the gene in an “on” position to be expressed, otherwise the gene will default to the “normal” wild type expression. When we write out corn snake genetics we use a simple one or two letter abbreviation with a superscript letter or plus sign to indicate whether the gene is in the “on” or “off” position. Think of a locus like coordinates on a map! This means that the gene that determines whether or not a corn snake is amelanistic will be at the same locus in every corn snake. Each chromosome contains many genes, and each gene sits at a specific spot on the chromosome called a locus (latin for “place”). More Answer: (under a cut because verbosity reasons)įor the sake of those who might not be as familiar with genetics, here’s a super quick, mega oversimplified crash course! Snakes, like humans, have two sets of chromosomes that provide the genetic code for their color, pattern, internal organ structure, skeletal structure, and so on. Tessera is dominant, Terrazzo and Stripe are recessive. Visually, Tessera usually results in very bold patterning that goes from head to tail, while Terrazzo tends to fade out towards the tail end of the snake, and Stripe is often somewhere in the middle between bold and faded. Second, your very excellent question has a very simple answer with a somewhat less simple elaboration.Īnswer: They’re different genes that coincidentally look similar. :) I’m very happy about this hatching season and very excited to share all of these new faces with everyone! First off, thank you so much for your kind words.
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