One Does Not Look Like the Other: The Red Rat Snakes of the Conservancy
Written By Conservation Associate Nerissa Vasconcells
Have you ever seen an albino snake? Unless you’ve seen them at an educational facility or zoo, your answer is probably no. Albinism in animals is most common within animals under human care. Albino animals lack the pigment called melanin. Here at the Conservancy of Southwest Florida, our red rat snakes, also called corn snakes, are a clear visual representation of the albino gene. At the Conservancy, we have two red rat snakes. Snakester, is a red rat snake, but so is Peaches. Peaches is considered to be a partially albino red rat snake. “Partial albinism is more common than absolute albinism in snakes. A faint blue, peach or yellowish color is often prominent” (Albino Animals). Peaches has a distinct peach color instead of a dark red. Peaches also has red eyes and this shows us she is albino. This genetic lack of pigment leads to a morph in coloration involving lighter colors. Many snakes in the wild would not be found with this genetic feature, because it would not allow the animals to blend into their natural environments. The pale coloration would not be able to camouflage the way that the dark black and red coloring naturally occurs, and this would make them more susceptible to predators.
Most albino snakes are bred through the pet trade. Due to the high vulnerability with albinism, it is rarely seen in wild snakes but is common among captive bred individuals. To express the albino gene, two snakes with the recessive trait need to reproduce. Snake breeders can often select for these specific traits to produce specific patterns and color variations that are most ideal for the pet trade. The selectivity of breeding often leads to partial absence of pigment, rather than absolute albinism. “Corn snakes are the most commonly bred snake species in the United States, according to Animal Diversity Web” (Szalay). They are also some of the most commonly bred snakes to express these albino qualities, along with ball pythons and Burmese pythons. While albinism is not ideal for wild snakes, it makes them very appealing to people as pets.
We have Peaches here at the Conservancy as one of our animal ambassadors for education. She was brought to the Conservancy because she was a previous pet. When most people buy a pet snake, they do not realize that snakes can live up to 25 years in captivity. Every year, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission holds a “Pet Amnesty Day”, when people can bring exotic pets with no questions asked, to hopefully reduce the number of pets released into the wild. “Another goal of the program is to foster responsible pet ownership through outreach and education at Exotic Pet Amnesty Day events” (Amnesty Program). Rat snakes, albino or not, are one of the more popular snakes that people have as pets. This is because they only get up to about five feet in length, and have unique patterns. Although different in coloration, animals with the albino trait have the same behaviors as normal colored animals.
All of our snakes are here at the Conservancy as ambassadors to educate people on why snakes are important to have around. Snakes are an essential part of ecosystem health. They increase a habitat’s biodiversity, and also help to keep prey species’ populations in check. Most people are scared of snakes or think they are bad, but snakes are great rodent population control, and they don’t usually bother people unless provoked. Rat snakes will eat rats, mice, and chicks, and sometimes small lizards. Albino or not, snakes are very important to our environment and the many different ecosystems they inhabit. Come meet some of the wonderful animal ambassadors at the Conservancy of Southwest Florida!
“Albino Animals.” Albino Animals, 6 Feb. 2014, web.archive.org/web/20150128115433/http://albino-animals.net/.
“Amnesty Program.” Florida Fish And Wildlife Conservation Commission, myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/nonnatives/amnesty-program/.
Szalay, Jessie. “Corn Snakes: Morphs, Colors & Other Facts.” LiveScience, Purch, 1 Dec. 2014,
www.livescience.com/44008-corn-snakes.html.
Wiesen, G., and Heather Bailey. “What Is an Albino Snake?” WiseGEEK, Conjecture Corporation,
19 Jan. 2015, web.archive.org/web/20150128172123/http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-an-albino-snake.htm.
