When is blue not really blue?

[Steven@HumboldtHerps]

Also, where predator evasion is concerned, in the case of the frogs, I believe it's primarily about finding a place where you can become motionless in an environment that matches your colors.

I find it interesting that while many snakes employ the "sit still" method of camouflage, others with the appropriate pattern are able to mask their features while on the move; garters are no exception. If you were the egret, you might be snapping at twigs while trying to zero in on that one slithering twig!

[ConcinusMan]

I've found that in spite of their bright colors, concinnus' are quite difficult to spot while sitting still up in a bush. The spots breaks up the outline of the snake. While on the move, the spots and stripes make the snake appear longer than it really is. This has the effect of causing predators to grab behind the snake and miss. These advantages seem to work even if the snakes are anery, red, bright orange, whatever color. I must admit though, it's harder for me to spot bright normal colored ones than it is to spot plain colored anery's!

[Steven@HumboldtHerps]

Here's Trixie, a female I raised from tadpole in 2009. Her torso has always been bi-colored - green with brown down the middle. Her yearling pics show the boldness of the 2 colors. The pic where she's searching for food shows the remnants of a metallic sheen on wherever she is brown (she had just been basking.) From October to December of 2010 she was almost entirely dark brown (no pic). The last pic was taken today. She's fat with eggs. Her browns are still prominent, but now her green is like a light tan -green??? I am beginning to believe that some of these frogs go through multiple color phases as they age, and that finding the responsible vehicles (genetics, sunlight, temp., age, etc) to explain Pseudacris colors will be a very confounding task.

[ConcinusMan]

Wow, she looks a lot like one I kept for about a year.

[guidofatherof5]

Great looking jumper.

[Mommy2many]

Beautiful Froggie. I like Froggies

[ConcinusMan]

Millions of those little guys around here. If we get plenty of rain they breed in temporary pools here and you get puddles full of eggs and tadpoles. Also happens to be a favorite spot for garter snakes to hang out.

[zooplan]

One of my questions is: Is it random genetics at play here, or does there exist a biological mechanism to detect changing weather conditions which can turn some switches on and off, so as to prepare for a more appropriate color.
Steve

There is an anti-mutation protection with different values.
It´s very low in descendants that vary a lot from their parents, so if being different is a benefit for survival a population could change rather fast, when underdogs become "king" of the hill (or pond).

[zooplan]

When you say "there must be no yellow or green in the pattern" are you referring to axanthic in reptiles/amphibians?

yes

Are saying I'm hyperxanthic? What did you call me?

That´s what yourself pointed out before yellow (carotins) can turn to red by high density. Furthermore I would call you an albino!

Like most humans are albinos of different types, but those real complete
peoples native in Africa.
Back to the topic I would recommend to search for "Fancy Guppy Breeding genetics". Fisch colour is more like snake colour than mammal colour and Poecilia reticulata might be the best explored specy on earth.

[ConcinusMan]

Furthermore I would call you an albino!

I wouldn't. The skin cells (in isolated clusters) still produce melanin. Just not all of them. There is not a lack of melanin production, there is only a shortage of melanocytes in the skin. Eyes are not affected at all, they are hazel (co-dominant blue/brown) Furthermore, it is high levels of pheomelanin that causes red hair.

I suppose I could be called a lot worse things than "albino". There's some kooks out there saying red heads are a threat to the human race because they are alien/human hybrids.

Anyway, my point is, it's a lot more complicated that just saying "you're albino" and I suppose there's also something a bit more complicated going on with the blue anerythristic snakes. I'm sure there's more going on with them than a lack of erythrophores. Like human redheads, the mutation in the snakes somehow causes not only a lack of one pigment (red) but also an increase in another (blue/green) I will do as you say and read some about the guppy breeding.