DNA testing.

Considering the heated controversies about hybridization, and true morphs and locality specimens etc. how come the reptile industry is still so much in the dark ages? Why is it that buyers, breeders and sellers have to rely so heavily on the trustworthiness of those they do business with? DNA typing is an established science. Wouldn't there be a great many valuable applications to DNA typing for the Reptile hobby industry? Is anything happening in this area? What say you?

i have thought the same myself.but dna for people is expensive.alot of people do not have the money to spend on every snake that might have some genetic possibilities.then dna testing may only show wha kind of snake not the morph.

detective bud. There is something called a " mark " or something that the DNA has to have in order to do so. even with, it shows only a possibility of something. Don't remember all he said but it is VERY expensive. As we go through time though and with technology. it might be as simple as the home pregnancy test of female humans that was only lab offered at one time and expensive. Can we all imagine the day when we can all do home DNA test ourselves ? LOL !

As far as lab testing, they now have home drug test using hair. These test are now being used for parents under the suspicsions of their children that might be doing drugs. It will not be too much longer before home tests will be used for DNA. Using a blood sample test like diebetics use, I am sure you just plug the tester into your computer and you can access a full read out of your DNA. You can test the puppies that were dropped off on your door step by the neighbor who says your dog Fido is the father. Maybe even find out for a fact that your snake is a true line from Peter Kahl or Ralph Davis. Better yet it may put a slow down to the scammers selling normal reptiles as hets. Oh the possibilities.

My concern with hybrids is that the dna doesn't 'line up' correctly, like a ladder with some of the rungs cut in half and spun around to the outside of the ladder. I also think it could be very helpful in reorganizing the taxonomic confusion that surrounds many reptiles. Other scientists attempting to work with clades of other animals like snails and other non warm-n-fuzzy mammals have jumped on the DNA testing bandwagon, and yet I'm baffled why herpetologists haven't yet.

Of course the money in dna testing of reptiles is in morphs, and that's all fine and well, I think it'd be wonderful to understand the mechanism of scale patterns and coloration. Who knows what could be discovered?

Originally Posted by sirenofthestorm

My concern with hybrids is that the dna doesn't 'line up' correctly, like a ladder with some of the rungs cut in half and spun around to the outside of the ladder.

This type of result would show that the animals genotype included a percentage of interspecific DNA.


This is a contribution I had not thought about,

I also think it could be very helpful in reorganizing the taxonomic confusion that surrounds many reptiles.

Imagine the revelations!

I expect that a pertinent and useful data base would have to be built first. This would entail the cooperation and contribution of a great many Field herpers as well as notable owners of captive collections. Here I refer to zoos et. al.

And, since human DNA can be typed from oral swabs, it seems that the best technology already exists that could be extrapolated for snakes. A small blood sample can be easily had from lizards by snipping a nail and collecting the blood. But, how is the non-technologically trained snake owner going to get a blood sample from a snake? That is where I think the oral swab would be appropriate. As regards the utility of hair samples from mammals; how about bits of the shed skin?

There already is a service for bird owners where nonsexually dimorphic birds can be sexed by sending in a small sample to a lab. All one does is request the sample medium, supplied free from the lab. Then, collect the sample, either a blood feather or blood from a clipped nail, and send it back to the lab with the fee. Only 20 years ago these birds could only be sexed via laparoscopic viewing of the gonads. This meant surgery and only breeders bothered to have it done.

I wouldn't expect the average "pet" snake owners to be the largest group of clients. Breeders, conservationists, zoos, veterinarians, Field herpetologists, and universities would probably be the dominant clients. There is no reason that the typing and data base couldn't be initiated at universities using graduate and undergraduate research programs.

Originally Posted by coyote

This type of result would show that the animals genotype included a percentage of interspecific DNA.


This is a contribution I had not thought about,

Imagine the revelations!

I expect that a pertinent and useful data base would have to be built first. This would entail the cooperation and contribution of a great many Field herpers as well as notable owners of captive collections. Here I refer to zoos et. al.

And, since human DNA can be typed from oral swabs, it seems that the best technology already exists that could be extrapolated for snakes. A small blood sample can be easily had from lizards by snipping a nail and collecting the blood. But, how is the non-technologically trained snake owner going to get a blood sample from a snake? That is where I think the oral swab would be appropriate. As regards the utility of hair samples from mammals; how about bits of the shed skin?

There already is a service for bird owners where nonsexually dimorphic birds can be sexed by sending in a small sample to a lab. All one does is request the sample medium, supplied free from the lab. Then, collect the sample, either a blood feather or blood from a clipped nail, and send it back to the lab with the fee. Only 20 years ago these birds could only be sexed via laparoscopic viewing of the gonads. This meant surgery and only breeders bothered to have it done.

I wouldn't expect the average "pet" snake owners to be the largest group of clients. Breeders, conservationists, zoos, veterinarians, Field herpetologists, and universities would probably be the dominant clients. There is no reason that the typing and data base couldn't be initiated at universities using graduate and undergraduate research programs.

I can imagine oral swabbing snakes for DNA.... Lab calls you back.....SIr , your snake is half rabbit