Albino (Kahl) Boa Constrictors
A Kahl albino boa has no black pigment, so its pattern shows red, yellow and orange on a white ground that warms toward yellow as the snake grows. Kahl and Sharp sit at different loci, so a Kahl bred to a Sharp gives no visual albinos.
About the Albino (Kahl) gene
The Kahl albino, which is listed as Albino (Kahl), is one of many different albino lines in the boa constrictor. This line removes the black from a normal boa's pattern to let the red, yellow and orange show on a white ground. Peter Kahl produced the first one in 1992, and the line is behind the Snow and Sunglow combos.
Appearance
The Kahl albino lacks any black or dark pigment. Its eyes and tongue are pink, while the remaining parts of a normal boa saddle pattern appear in orange, yellow and red on a white ground. A white ground and sharp saddles define the look of hatchlings. The ground colour moves toward yellow as the snake grows and the saddles become less distinct against it.
Genetics
Because Albino (Kahl) is recessive, a visual requires two copies and anything else looks like a normal boa constrictor. The family runs from the visual through Het Albino (Kahl), 66% Het Albino (Kahl), 50% Het Albino (Kahl) and Pos Het Albino (Kahl), and no super form exists. Kahl sits at its own locus separate from Sharp albino. Breeding a Kahl visual to a Sharp visual results in only double hets with no visual of either line. Kahl with Anerythristic (Type 1) makes the Snow, which Peter Kahl first produced himself in 1996, and Kahl with Hypo makes the Sunglow.
Known issues
Because a Kahl albino lacks pigment in the iris to filter light, its eyes are sensitive to bright light just like other albinos.