I'm seeing so many rumors being repeated as facts here, it's getting kinda crazy.
A) Yes, the Derma-ball has heat pits. You cannot see them, because normally a specially shaped scaled covers that area, one that allows the skin to be exposed inside--the scale is missing, so you just see the skin instead, which is mostly smooth. LOOK CLOSELY. The snake also uses its heat pits and eats normally. Heat pits are not like nasal passages, there are no holes going back into the snake's face--it's an area of very sensitive nerves covered by skin, that's all.
B) There has not been enough time to prove whether the Derma-ball can be reproduced. It has been an unsuccessful breeder! That doesn't mean it is not genetic, it means the snake is young and hasn't produced any offspring yet. It's so young, there's not even any reason to suspect that it can't. Once it does, you STILL HAVE TO WAIT 3 YEARS to find out whether it's a recessive gene, let alone something more complex than that. Logically speaking, it's going to be the same gene that produces scalelessness in rat snakes.
If so, then it's a recessive gene, and we'll have a wait to see more of them.
Reply With Quote