I actually got my first reptile about 10 years ago. I smuggled an albino corn snake on the plane from Florida to Texas and used him in my science class for a few years. Unfortunately, he was killed due to my ignorance. I was reptile-less for several years after that, and continued to miss them when teaching about animal adaptations in my 4th grade science classes.
Finally, another teacher donated an anerythristic corn snake to me that her step-sons had left with her when they moved. We didn't know anything about this snake - its age, its sex, etc., but it was very docile and useful in demonstrating camouflage. I named it Checker because of the checkerboard pattern on its belly.
On the day after the last day of school last year (2010), I went up to the school to clean up the science lab, and discovered Checker had laid a HUGE clutch of eggs!! I took this as a good indication that she was a female. The eggs quickly began to smell bad, and as I knew that she had not been exposed to a male snake for at least a couple of years, I threw them away. Later, when I showed this picture to more knowledgeable herpers, they indicated that it was possible that some of the eggs might have been fertile, either because reptiles can sometimes store sperm for a long period of time, or due to parthenogenesis.
Corn snake, eh? Bet they're deliscious with melted butter. You can also write about the corn dog and corn fritter. Rare species are very interesting!
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