Snow-Blind

---

Snow-Blind Albino Salvators are the result of breeding two wild-caught T negative albinos that I raised from babies so Snow-Blinds are the "Super Form" of T negative , I was calling them "pure" when I first hatched them and boy did the herp "high society" not like that. Homozygous is the better definition I believe as I am FAR from an expert like so many who failed to reach out to me. Never before HAS ANYONE accomplished breeding this pairing in captivity before and Snow-Blind do NOT occur in the wild as I explain below so these are the FIRST IN THE WORLD

After talking with some of my reptile friends, both local (Indonesia) and some from Europe and America about this clutch of eggs I hatched in June of 2020 and again in Jan, 2021 & Nov 2021. I believe as do my friends that these "pure" or "Super" Homozygous T negative Albino Salvator's or as I named them Snow-Blind are with a great deal of certainty the first ever to be seen in the world, not just captive born and bred.

Let me explain the reasoning behind this thinking, my friend and I all agree the albino T negative salvators that have been caught in the wild have all been babies and no one has ever caught, reported seeing or found dead a fully grown sexual mature T negative albino. (white animal) in the wild. How long would a pure white 4-6 foot lizard go without someone seeing or capturing especially these days with so many hunting them.? The T negative albino also has reduced vision so I believe hunting and catching prey might be more difficult as well but thats a whole other topic. Not one adult T negative Albino Salvator has ever been caught or seen that my friends and I can confirm. Snow-Blind Albino Salvator's do not occur in nature, one of my friends has been a reptile specialist exporter and keeper/breeder for well over 20 years here in Indonesia and not one adult T negative. I relocated to Bali, Indonesia in 1999-2000 and worked in the reptile hobby for 5-6 years before going on to other projects/ventures and I can tell you we NEVER seen or heard of any T neg. Salvators back then in fact only ONE T positive albino was delivered to us by the collectors and that was towards the back-end of those 5-6 years.  So Tnegative, wild-caught albino (BABIES) are a some-what new morph to the hobby.

So, we all agree that these wild caught T neg. albino babies are coming from normal looking animals with the gene to cause albinism or heterozygous“hets” that throw out the occasional albino as they are still very rare to find in the wild when compared to normal looking V. salvator. Discussing with my friends here, its never been documented to find an adult T neg. Albino Salvator from the wild and then you add to that fact that a pair of adult T neg’s. would be needed to produce "Pure" ,"Super" , Homozygous T negative Albino Salvator's or as I called them Snow-Blind Albinos babies makes this hypothesis that much more convincing. I would never say anything is 100% impossible but the chances seem to be VERY slim for this to be occurring. This pairing has also never been successfully reproduced in captivity until now, I am sure this will change pretty quick in the coming years but for now I am happy to study the results @ Zilla Villa.

I also want to stress that the morphs T negative & T positive or now it might be called a Coral Glow albinism in V. salvator are naturally occurring and found in the wild, they are not man made!  although I believe we may have played a roll in causing this to happen and there has been at least a few every year found since I got my project started five years ago and these are always BABY T negatives that usually turn up in America that are often offered to me beforehand by the collectors as a local sale is much easier then setting up and paying for an export. Even the T positives or "Coral Glows" are usually babies from the wild as well but due to their more natural coloration "Caramel" adults have been found and the fact that T pos. albino's show no vision issues and are better prepared to survive in the wild. You must understand the local hunters and just people in the reptile hobby with a forest or river near by know the value of one albino, they would probably have to catch thousands more "normal" looking V. salvators to make the pay-check they do off one albino so they don't go unnoticed. There are quite a lot in the hobby or with private breeders across the world so I am sure more successes will be forth coming. 

After giving it some thought I decided to name the resulting babies from this pairing of  T neg. albino Varanus salvators ((Snow-Blind)) or Snow-Blind Water Monitors, Snow-Blind Varanus salvator. Due to the fact that they are so white and reflect light so much many times when trying to photograph or make a video of them I would get over exposed photos or what looks like a "snow-blind effect". It also hints at the albino T negative known issue with less than perfect eye site.  And  growing up its the name of a song of one of my favourite Rock & Roll bands Black Sabbath. You can refer or call them what you like, I am giving the name I like for lizards I produced, at my home and the first ever in the world.

BLACK SABBATH

"SNOW-BLIND"

What you get and what you see Things that don't come easily Feeling happy in my vein Icicles are in my brain  

Something blowing in my hair Winter's ice, it soon was dead Death would freeze my very soul Makes me happy, makes me cold  

My eyes are blind, but I can see The snowflakes glisten on the tree The sun no longer sets me free I feel there's no place freezing me  

Let the winter sun shine on Let me feel the frost of dawn Fill my dreams with flakes of snow Soon I'll feel the chilling go  

Don't you think I know what I'm doing Don't tell me that it's doing me wrong You're the one that's really the loser This is where I feel I belong  

Crystal world with winter flowers Turn my days to frozen hours Lying snow-blind in the sun Will my ice age ever come?