Masque Corn Snakes for sale in the UK

The Masque gene is a corn snake pattern that affects the belly and the head. It can lift the colour a bit, part the belly checkers down the middle and reduce the head pattern. It is one of the genes inside the Bloodred, and nearly every Diffused corn you see carries it too.

Appearance

Look at the belly first. On a normal corn, the checkers meet in the middle, but on a Masque they are pushed toward the edges of the belly scales to create a clear pale line down the centre. A reduced pattern on the head is the second cue. This is often on a greyish ground and is called bald by keepers, though on some animals the markings form a skull-like shape instead. Because the gene has a mild hypo-like effect on the black, the body keeps a normal corn snake pattern even if the colours run a little brighter or lighter. A lightly marked Masque can be hard to pick out because expression varies widely from one animal to the next.

Super Masque shows these same cues more strongly. The belly checkers shrink to a thin edge at the sides or small specks so most of the belly is clear. The head pattern is reduced further, sometimes to almost nothing. That clear belly can make it difficult to separate a Super Masque from a Diffused.

Genetics

Masque is an incomplete dominant gene which the hobby often calls "co-dom". One copy produces a Masque and two copies result in a Super Masque. People still argue whether the second copy is a true step up or simply the strong end of a variable dominant gene. Masque is not in a complex. Because the two appeared together in Bloodred lines, it was once mistaken for a het marker for Diffused, but breeding trials showed it is a gene of its own. It combines with any morph. The Bloodred is made from Masque, Diffused and a red-enhancing gene, most often Red Factor. Charles Pritzel first produced Masque.