Vote for BP.Net for the 2013 Forum of the Year! Click here for more info.

» Site Navigation

» Home
 > FAQ

» Online Users: 562

0 members and 562 guests
No Members online
Most users ever online was 47,180, 07-16-2025 at 05:30 PM.

» Today's Birthdays

None

» Stats

Members: 75,912
Threads: 249,117
Posts: 2,572,189
Top Poster: JLC (31,651)
Welcome to our newest member, coda
  • 03-13-2012, 02:19 AM
    SquamishSerpents
    What distinguishes a Specter from a Normal?
    I'm wondering as I was JUST introduced to the "superstripe." I've done a few quick searches and can't really find much info on Specters.

    Do they have distinct markings that tell you it's a Specter?
  • 03-13-2012, 02:37 AM
    Royal Hijinx
    They are VERY difficult to distinguish, especially in pictures.

    Here are some pics of my female from another thread:

    http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...7/IMG_1048.jpg
    http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...7/IMG_1046.jpg
    http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...7/IMG_1045.jpg
    http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...7/IMG_1044.jpg

    Talking to Jeremy at Fire-Ball reptiles, it seems that the head spot, striped tail and overall color are what he sees to pick them out in a clutch. With that said, some folks also look at the belly. There seems to be some variability even in these markings. I would not buy a Specter from someone other than a trusted source, who is producing Super Stripes.
  • 03-13-2012, 02:42 AM
    SquamishSerpents
    Do you mean the head spot as in that little tiny darker spot? Or the 2 lighter spots on either side of her head/neck area?

    BTW thanks for the pics, also I am wondering because I have a normal that I *think* might be special. She has a little marking where he pattern starts, and the guy we got her from said it seems to be passed down to some of her offspring. We haven't had a clutch from her yet, though.

    Maybe I'll put up an Is This A Morph thread.
  • 03-13-2012, 02:44 AM
    SquamishSerpents
    And yeah I would assume they're hard to distinguish in photos if "overall coloration" is a huge factor, as 99% of the time I find it impossible to capture a snakes true colors on camera.
  • 03-13-2012, 02:46 AM
    Royal Hijinx
    I mean the lighter stamp in the middle of the head around the dark spot.

    If the snake was not sold as a Specter, it is VERY unlikely to be one. The best bet to prove it is to breed it to a Ivory.

    But, they can be quite variable, as some folks have ones that look more YB, and some look pretty much Normal. Lineage is pretty key here.
  • 03-13-2012, 02:49 AM
    SquamishSerpents
    Yeah I'm not trying to confirm she's a Specter, but if anyone thinks there's a possibility, maybe I'll keep my eyes peeled for somebody who would like to do a breeding loan with an Ivory or something.

    Do you know which breeders are working with Spectors/have worked with them in the past?
  • 03-13-2012, 02:52 AM
    MarkS
    Specters look 'kind of' but 'not quite' like a yellow belly. The whole reason the super stripes came about in the first place was from people breeding known yellow bellies to imported animals that looked 'almost' like a yellow belly. They thought they were trying to prove their wild caught animals to be het ivories and they turned out to be something else entirely.
  • 03-13-2012, 02:57 AM
    DShaw
    Whttp://img.tapatalk.com/62c97e7b-efaa-0e20.jpg with the head spot though my snake I assume has one as well


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
  • 03-13-2012, 03:03 AM
    SquamishSerpents
  • 03-13-2012, 03:09 AM
    Royal Hijinx
    Re: What distinguishes a Specter from a Normal?
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by DShaw View Post
    Whttp://img.tapatalk.com/62c97e7b-efaa-0e20.jpg with the head spot though my snake I assume has one as well


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

    Is this supposed to be a pic of your Specter, or are you saying that since your snake has a head spot you might have a Specter?

    There are several morphs with a lightened head spot and it is just ONE of the features some use to pick out Specters.

    If yours is a known Specter, some better pics would be great to add to the pool.
  • 03-13-2012, 03:36 AM
    Simple Man
    Ultimately what distinguishes them is that they prove to produce Super Stripes :rofl:I think the newest craze in morph misidentification is "Specter?"

    Regards,

    B
  • 03-13-2012, 03:46 AM
    SquamishSerpents
    Haha that's a very good point!

    I did put up some pics in that other thread though, I don't want to search out a YB or Ivory if not a soul thinks there's a possibility she could be.
  • 03-13-2012, 03:57 AM
    Royal Hijinx
    I would put her to a Ivory anyway, worse case scenario is more YBs.

    As far as craze, I just think there a lot of folks hoping they have one since SS are freakin sweet. I would think that the known breeders who are selling them are not charging $1K or more, and banking reputation if they are not SURE that the snake they are selling is in fact a Specter.

    I would be very wary of buying a "Specter" from someone unless they are very familiar with them and have been producing Super Stripes. My understanding is that these folks can pick them out from the group pretty easily.
  • 03-13-2012, 03:59 AM
    SquamishSerpents
    OF COURSE I'm hoping she's a Specter!! But of course I also know I'm probably not that lucky.

    She was bought as a normal. All I know about her is she's an 05 and she came from a breeder in the US. Graziani or Wysocki are ringing a bell, but I cannot be 100% sure.
  • 03-13-2012, 04:19 AM
    Simple Man
    Re: What distinguishes a Specter from a Normal?
    :gj:
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by SquamishSerpents View Post
    OF COURSE I'm hoping she's a Specter!! But of course I also know I'm probably not that lucky.

    She was bought as a normal. All I know about her is she's an 05 and she came from a breeder in the US. Graziani or Wysocki are ringing a bell, but I cannot be 100% sure.

    YB is worthwhile having beyond Super Stripes. It pretty much makes everything better. It's the most underrated gene on the market IMO. So I would definitely say buy some YB combo or an Ivory anyway. :gj:

    Regards,

    B
  • 03-13-2012, 04:40 AM
    WingedWolfPsion
    When i started researching them, I read that the markers were 'keyholes' in the top of the pattern, and donuts. Now it's tail stripe, head stamp, and 'overall color'? Hmm... >_>
  • 03-13-2012, 05:06 AM
    SquamishSerpents
    Well I found this:

    http://www.reptileradio.net/reptiler...3&postcount=14

    Also my problem is that I haven't seen many Yellowbellies in person, nor Fires. So I would have no idea how to pick out any of these almost-normal-but-not-quite morphs.

    That's why I posted photos of her, to see what others think. Because like I said it's next to impossible to capture a snakes true colors with a camera, so that's not really something you should go by.

    Anyways, it's really hard to compare snakes from memory, as well. It's easy if they're side by side, but not so much by looking at a bunch and then going home to look at yours. Unless of course they're a snake you work with all the time.
  • 03-13-2012, 11:05 AM
    Royal Hijinx
    Re: What distinguishes a Specter from a Normal?
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by WingedWolfPsion View Post
    When i started researching them, I read that the markers were 'keyholes' in the top of the pattern, and donuts. Now it's tail stripe, head stamp, and 'overall color'? Hmm... >_>

    I am just saying what I was told by the breeder who produced mine. I have also read something about the keyholes and donuts, but I am not sure exactly what that means.

    Would you care to elaborate? Do you have an example?
  • 03-13-2012, 01:12 PM
    snakesRkewl
    I wholeheartedly agree with buying from someone you know is producing superstripes.

    Our male from Alan Cole Reptiles...
    http://i968.photobucket.com/albums/a...s/IMG_1543.jpg
    http://i968.photobucket.com/albums/a...s/IMG_1532.jpg
    Belly shot...Sort of yellowbellyish
    http://i968.photobucket.com/albums/a...s/IMG_1523.jpg
  • 03-13-2012, 05:48 PM
    SquamishSerpents
    SnakesRKewl, is that a Specter?

    And yeah, if I was looking at purchasing a Specter, I'd get one from a reputable breeder for sure. And MAN would I like to have one!!!!

    But unfortunately we're not at a stage yet where our snakes are funding the purchase of new animals, the sales of offspring (which up to this point has been mostly corn snakes, because we traded away most of our balls) are mostly just paying to feed and house them. And even that's not quite covering everything. Any new animals we purchase comes straight out of pocket, so when we get to the point where we have more ball pythons for sale, we might consider making one or more higher-end purchases such as a Specter.

    Because I can honestly say, superstripes are one of my FAVORITE morphs, hands down. Can't wait to see all the combos that are going to pop up.
  • 03-13-2012, 05:51 PM
    Royal Hijinx
    I am shooting for a Fire SS in a couple of years.
  • 03-14-2012, 02:14 PM
    WingedWolfPsion
    Also, I think they said a lot of the alien heads consist of an alien with one big 'eye' and one little 'eye', lol.

    Donuts are roundish yellow spots with a dark spot in the middle, inside a darker area. Keyholes are similar, but are attached to the back stripe. (If I remember correctly).

    I actually started to be able to see it, but then I have some granite-like babies who seem to have the markers too. >_>
  • 03-16-2012, 01:27 AM
    SquamishSerpents
  • 05-10-2013, 02:59 PM
    tonydavo
    Re: What distinguishes a Specter from a Normal?
  • 05-10-2013, 03:05 PM
    tonydavo
    Views on this young lady please, was sold to me as a fire with a difference !

    http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/k...psb2de501d.jpg
  • 05-10-2013, 03:21 PM
    snakesRkewl
    How can you ask if a "possible" yb complex snake is a yb clomplex snake without a belly shot, blasphemy I say! :rofl:
    Quote:

    SnakesRKewl, is that a Specter?
    Absolutely, he's a Mark Haas line specter.

    IMO once you hold a specter they are fairly easy to tell from a normal or a yellowbelly.
    The headspot is nearly identical to a yellowbelly, the color of the belly is similar but the speckling typically is in a line down the belly versus sprinkled all over like a yellowbelly.
    The lower sides of the aliens are sprinkled with black spot lightly like a yellowbelly.
    The striping has "black islands" or keyholes, or whatever people call them, but that seems to be more indicative of this line of specters.

    I had a female ovulate today, spider yellowbelly female bred by this specter, cannot wait for this clutch!

    http://i968.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps26561da7.jpg
    http://i968.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps33c4b6d0.jpg
    http://i968.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps447c8d90.jpg
  • 05-11-2013, 01:15 AM
    MarkS
    I always wanted to get a specter just so I could name him Gadget
Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v4.2.1