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would this be considered an axanthic cottonmouth
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by rickyduckworth on August 14, 2006
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http://webpages.charter.net/rickyduckworth/axanthic.jpg
http://webpages.charter.net/rickyduckworth/axanthic2.jpg
i've seen some light easterns, but this one seems to be very low on the yellow pigment....very dark black still, the brown is a clean brown color, but the normal cream color is very light and even white on both the face and sides......it's an adult animal over 2ft long too
regardless, it's really pretty.....pulled this one out of someone's yard today......they called it a rattler lol
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RE: would this be considered an axanthic cottonmou
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by Cro on August 14, 2006
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It is just a normal, light colored Cottonmouth.
JohnZ
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RE: would this be considered an axanthic cottonmou
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by rickyduckworth on August 14, 2006
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i have a lot of normal, light colored cottonmouths like this one http://www.venomousreptiles.org/libraries/showfilepage/5215?offset=58 but this one has the white highlights........only one out of around 50 snakes here that i've seen like this....only a handful of those look like the one in the link above, and the rest are muddy......
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RE: would this be considered an axanthic cottonmou
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by ALA_snake33 on August 15, 2006
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Ricky: I’ve never seen a Cottonmouth that Color around here. Most of the Cottonmouth I see have the basic Black, Red, Brown or Gray Color, with Markings still visible on the side of the Body. Now, most of the Young ones I find have markings very reminiscent of Copperhead Colors. About 2 Months ago, I actually found one “DOR” that I swore was a Copperhead, until I turned the Snake over and saw the Belly. It really makes you wonder how closely related they are?
If you don’t mind me asking, were are you finding this many Cottonmouth anyway? I mean if you don’t mind giving it away. I know that a lot of Herpers are reluctant to give their spots. .........................Be Safe Ya’ll, Happy Herping : Wally
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RE: would this be considered an axanthic cottonmou
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by Cro on August 15, 2006
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Ricky, you have asked a good question. While the snake you found might have some reduction in yellow coloration, we can not call it axanthic. Here is why:
Snakes have special stacked pigment cells called Chromatophores. These pigment cells create all the color we see in snakes.
Imagine I gave you a special box of 4 crayons and labeled them this way:
A Melanophore crayon that could prduce brown, black, yellow, and red.
A Xanthophore crayon that could produce yellow and orange colors.
A Erythrophore crayon that could produce yellows and reds.
A Iridophores crayon that could produce iridescense and reflecion.
You have only these 4 crayons to produce all the colors we see in snakes. This is done by stacking the color cells in different arrangements, similar to mixing colors.
The photo of the Cottonmouth you found shows a snake with a lot of Green and Brown. Notice that none of the 4 crayons above are Green. To produce a Green Color on a Cottonmouth, you need Xanthophores. You have to have Yellow mixed with other colors to produce Green.
If the snake were axanthic, it would be lacking the pigment cells that produce Yellow, so that would explain the reduced yellow you are seeing, But, you would not be able to produce the Green colors also.
That is why snakes that are axanthic tend to be missing other colors also, as those are combined colors from the different pigment cells.
Most axanthic snakes tend to be a strange Grey color.
Take a look at the axanthic Pygmy Rattlesnake photo posted by Chad to see what I am talking about:
http://www.venomousreptiles.org/classifieds/detail/13960
There is a great little book by Carl Ernst and George Zug called ``Snakes In Question,`` published by the Smithsonian Institution Press that has answers to all kinds of questions like this about snakes. You can find a used copy on Amazon.com very easily.
Hope this helps. Best Regards JohnZ
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RE: would this be considered an axanthic cottonmou
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by rickyduckworth on August 15, 2006
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best explanation ever ;)
thanks though......the words get thrown around a lot online and i have no first hand experience with it......i have this thing where i have to "label" things lol
and i'm severely colorblind, not like the normal colorblindness, more like a mixture of the known variations and then something else.....after 26 years, it still amuses even me lol........colors aren't my thing anyway, i just know if it's "purdy or not"
thanks
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Great explanation...
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by RepFan on August 17, 2006
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John,
That has to be the best analogy I have ever heard or read; when it comes to explaing the different color morphs of reptiles. Keep up the good work.
~Todd
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