Introduction:
Corn snake color is comprised of two predominant colors: red and black. The ability to
produce the color pigments are dominant traits while not producing the pigments are
recessive traits. The ability to produce each color is inherited separately. Therefore,
you can have a snake that is dominate for both traits and can produces both black and
red pigments like the normal AKA wild type corn snake. Being that it has the
recessive trait for producing black pigment and the dominant trait for producing red, the
amelanistic version is only a reddish orange in color. The anerythristic verson is
dominant for producing black pigment and recessive for producing red, and looks black
or grey. The snow corn is does not produce black or red pigment (recessive for both
traits) and looks white and yellowish. Please see the Corn Snake Variations
document on my teacher page for this information presented in list and picture
format!
1. Draw a blue genotype card to find out what father snake you are working
with.
What is the GENOTYPE of the father snake (blue card)?______________________
What pigment(s) does his body NOT produce?______________________________
What is his phenotype - the pigment(s) his body does produce? ________________
What is the trade name for this corn snake coloration? _______________________
2. Draw a pink genotype card to find out what mother snake you are working
with.
What is the GENOTYPE of the mother snake (pink card)?_____________________
What pigment(s) does her body NOT produce?______________________________
What is his phenotype - the pigment(s) her body does produce? _______________
What is the trade name for this corn snake coloration? _______________________
3. Complete punnett square (back). Keep
in mind that the eggs and sperm will
only contain 1 letter “b” and 1 letter “r”
and the eggs have 4 different allele
combinations and the sperm have 4
different allele combinations. This
results in 16 different offspring
combinations. Use the cat example to
help you.
Momma Cat
Papa Cat
Punnett Square for Crossing YOUR Male & Female Snakes
Mother
X
Father
Offspring Genotype
Percentages:
BBRR
____________
BBRr
____________
BBrr
____________
BbRR
____________
BbRr
____________
Bbrr
____________
bbRR
____________
bbRr
____________
bbrr
____________
Offspring Phenotypes:
Trade Name
Genotype(s)
Percentage
4. Now use the Google Docs link under Corn Snake Genetics on Dr. Stants’s
teacher page to add the information about your cross to the class
PowerPoint.