#good ol therium snake

[thefearwithin]

The Bloodburst Rattlesnake

Fun Fact! - Because of the bloodburst rattlesnake’s appearance and tolerance for diverse climates, the snake used to be a popular entry in the pet trade. This trade boomed for a little while thanks to exotic pet keepers, but allure quickly diminished thanks to the snake’s aggressive nature and highly venomous bite. Still, within the years that the bloodburst trade was strong, breeders were able to pull a range of morphs from the snake's already beautiful wild coloration. While there used to be dozens of these morphs, after many snakes were released back into their natural habitats, most variations were selected against and were lost to the populations. Now only two morphs remain as a testament to the old pet trade. 

The ‘anemic’ bloodburst rattlesnake was named for its muted colors; even down to a usually golden rattle becoming more of a muted yellow. These rattlesnakes appear to be albino thanks to the remaining red color but are technically leucistic as they still have pigments that prevent the sun’s rays from harming them. In fact, these paler snakes take to more arid regions, almost akin to their typical rattlesnake cousins.

The second morph is the ‘blueblood’ rattlesnake, a stark contrast from the red wild type. These blue and purple snakes were once the crown jewel of the bloodburst pet trade, not only for their colors but also for their reported ‘calm demeanor.’ In fact, these ‘cool blue’ snakes were marketed like this during a time when the pet trade was beginning to fall due to the species’s aggressive nature. This morph’s venom was even reported to be less potent, but these weak rumors did little to save a dying pet trade. Now that the snakes are wild, we know that the blue color of these snakes does little to change their hot-tempered nature.