What causes "pink" alligator snapping turtles?

Krissy1393

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I've seen these hypomelanistic alligator snapping turtles for sale in forums and I am wondering if anyone knows what causes it? It doesn't seem like clutches are coming out with enough hypo turtles for it to be genetic.. Does anyone know? Is it just random?
Thanks guys!
 

cdmay

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Yes, welcome!
Those are good questions.
I think it may be a mixture of randomness, AND genetics. At least some of the odd traits (albinism, hypomelanism and others) are genetic and can be replicated.
But sometimes the 'pinkish' looking neonates appear randomly.
I do not know this for sure, but I also suspect that a neonates color can be determined by the diet of the mother turtle while the eggs were forming inside her body.
Dr. John Iverson of Earlham College, and an absolute turtle genius, once told me that the plastron color of newly hatched mud turtles is directly related to the mothers diet. In other words, a female that is consuming food that is rich in beta carotids (shrimp, crustaceans and even certain vegetation) is more likely to produce neonates with bright orange or red plastron color. But these colors will fade to appear normal as the little turtle grows.

I would be very interested to hear from keepers who have raised neonate snapper with the high pink or yellow colors to adulthood...did the colors remain or did the turtles darken to normal parameters as they grew?
 

Krissy1393

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Joined
Jun 10, 2017
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Thank you both for welcoming me! I would have to agree. I have read some articles about diet of the mother and I am glad you mentioned that. It's an interesting thought and maybe it is associated with some sort of maternal investment (or lack thereof). It does seem as though these hatchlings retain the pink coloration as adults. I also have to agree that Dr. John Iverson is a fantastic turtle biologist! It is interesting to see these papers that correlate metabolic/immunologic function with variations of melanin...
Hopefully I get some breeders in here to tell me about it. I have also heard rumors that these pink/leucistic/hypomelanistic individuals have stunted growth or die suddenly.
Thank you for your reply! Are you a tortoise/turtle breeder? I saw that you're from Florida. I'm originally from Naples.


Yes, welcome!
Those are good questions.
I think it may be a mixture of randomness, AND genetics. At least some of the odd traits (albinism, hypomelanism and others) are genetic and can be replicated.
But sometimes the 'pinkish' looking neonates appear randomly.
I do not know this for sure, but I also suspect that a neonates color can be determined by the diet of the mother turtle while the eggs were forming inside her body.
Dr. John Iverson of Earlham College, and an absolute turtle genius, once told me that the plastron color of newly hatched mud turtles is directly related to the mothers diet. In other words, a female that is consuming food that is rich in beta carotids (shrimp, crustaceans and even certain vegetation) is more likely to produce neonates with bright orange or red plastron color. But these colors will fade to appear normal as the little turtle grows.

I would be very interested to hear from keepers who have raised neonate snapper with the high pink or yellow colors to adulthood...did the colors remain or did the turtles darken to normal parameters as they grew?
 

cdmay

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10 Year Member!
Joined
Feb 1, 2008
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Hello Krissy...
Although I have never actually met John Iverson in person, he and I have corresponded for over 30 years. I used to send him empty mud turtle shells I would find while hiking the Everglades many moons ago. Plus, he and I are big fans of mud turtles so we would compare notes.
Anyway, it stands to reason that pink, or any other mutation from normal pigment snapper would not do well over a long period of time. Most mutations are in fact, highly negative and would result in the death of the individual in left in the wild. Or 'nature' or wherever.
For some weird reason many of us (not me, at least not in general) like color morphs and oddities. The Japanese and Chinese go nuts over them and pay big bucks to obtain them.
 
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