Morph Encyclopedia (In Progress)

This topic, where the original was drafted, has been closed.
The now released Morphpedia.com is where this idea has evolved to include other species of reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates.

To contribute, please read the About Morphpedia Categories & Wikis page.

Hi guys.

To you that know what I’ve been up too and have helped along the way I want to say thank you so much. When I started doing this I thought I would get nothing but “it’s too big of a job for you” and so on, but all I have received is massive help from all angles.

So for you that don’t know, I’ve been trying to put together a Morph Encyclopedia that can be used on here to help Identify the differences between genes and how they play their part in the Ball Python world.

So far I have done 10… It doesn’t sound like many but trust me, a lot of hard work from researching as much as I can from every source possible, cross referencing it with others, cross referencing that with you guys on here and then finding examples in picture form.

All the images used are from either MorphMarket Reptile Community (here) or the MorphMarket Marketplace (Here)
Every image is credited to either the Store or the Community Profile (or both where possible) of its origin.

If you see anything incorrect / mislabeled / wrongly worded / anything at all you think should change then please mention it.

If you agree with something someone says needs changing, then make sure to :heart: their comment so I know it’s a agreed thing that needs changing. I can only make this right with the help of you guys.

Non of these are close to finished product, they are just the closest to being finished.
A lot more information and pictures will be added to each, but that’s where you guys come in.

Any single gene morphs you have, please get them posted on here AND here

Thank you if you made it this far :blush:.

Edit: I will add updates in the comments here…:

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Morph Encyclopedia (In Progress) - #26 by eaglereptiles

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Morph Encyclopedia (In Progress) - #27 by eaglereptiles

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Morph Encyclopedia (In Progress) - #28 by eaglereptiles

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Morph Encyclopedia (In Progress) - #29 by eaglereptiles

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Morph Encyclopedia (In Progress) - #30 by eaglereptiles

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Morph Encyclopedia (In Progress) - #42 by eaglereptiles

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Morph Encyclopedia (In Progress) - #43 by eaglereptiles

… to save from constantly bumping this thread to the top of “Latest” with new edits and entries.

Edit: If anyone working with a specific gene would like to help out please comment the name of the morph(s) you are willing to work on and I will add your name next to it here

17 Likes

It’s looking wonderful! Easy to read and simple to understand while still explaining perfectly! I can’t wait to see what all you do with this!

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Wow man I’ve gotta give you some serious props for the time you put into this. Can’t wait to see the finished product and I’m certain that the other members would agree. Big thumbs up from me!

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Why do you have wild type with a base morph as reccessive?

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Nice one for noticing that. It will be from me tinkering with the layout of the pages to get them to work on here.

I’ll get that removed :+1:

1 Like

So far we have:

0.Normal

Morph Encyclopedia: #0000

Thomas Eagle - Eagle Reptiles

NORMAL
“Wild Type”

Image fromMaxine Gravino at My Herp Shed

INTRODUCTION:

The ball python (Python regius), also called royal python, is a python species native to West and Central Africa. It has the potential to reach a maximum adult length of 182 cm (6.0 ft). Pythons are a family of nonvenomous snakes found in Africa, Asia, and Australia that rather than inject venom or attacking prey with barrage of strikes, they are Constrictors and will use their muscles to over power and kill.

VISUAL DESCRIPTION:

Head: Black or dark brown with stripes on both sides, usually just behind the nostrils. Usually has a lighter brown patch on the crown and have dark eyes that often carry the same pattern as their bodies, with stripes or lines running through them. When going into shed, their eyes will change color, appearing a hazy blue or gray.

|663.8114162634158x451

Image from Chris McDougle at Snakenstein Reptiles, LLC

Body: The Normal Ball Python has black or dark brown ‘puzzle-like’ pattern with light brown or tan blotches (alien heads) on the back and sides. The spine usually has beads or stripes of pattern, moreso towards the bottom end.

Image from Chris McDougle at Snakenstein Reptiles, LLC

Belly: Its white or cream belly is scattered with black markings and stripes, the belly (ventral) scales are larger than anywhere else on the snake.

Image from bluefeathurs

Tail: Patterns normally come to an end with a single stripe but it is not unusual for there to be a beaded/chain look. On the underside you will find the animals cloaca, this is where reproductive activity occurs.

Image from bluefeathurs

Other:

Known Issues: Wild-caught specimens have greater difficulty adapting to a captive environment, which can result in refusal to feed, and they generally carry internal or external parasites.

Useful links:

Buy a Normal Ball Python

Help Identifying your Normal

Wikipedia

Let’s give love to the Normals

Other images of Normals:

Image from bluefeathurs

Image from Rod Foster at UK Pythons & Boas

1.Pastel

Morph Encyclopedia: #0001

Thomas Eagle - Eagle Reptiles

PASTEL

Image from Deborah Stewart at Stewart Reptiles

Base Morph Incomplete Dominant (co-dom)

INTRODUCTION:

VISUAL DESCRIPTION

Head: Pastel Ball Pythons usually have faded/pale yellow heads at birth that darken with age, though some can keep the faded look. They are easily told apart from a Normal by the faded yellow crown, white lips and green eyes, though keep in mind that on rare occasions a Normal can also have green eyes.

Image from Deborah Stewart at Stewart Reptiles

Body: Pastel Ball Pythons bodies can be told apart from Normals by the bright yellow scales within the “alien heads” and blushing within the black markers.

Image from Deborah Stewart at Stewart Reptiles

Belly: Pastel Ball Pythons have very clean undersides compared to the track-marks and spotting of a Normal Ball Python. Along either side of the belly, bright yellow ‘flames’ stretch up through the black markers into the body pattern.

Image from Deborah Stewart at Stewart Reptiles

Tail: The Pastels tail is much like a Normal Ball Python but follows the Pastels colouration.

|617.2029437945648x451

Image from Deborah Stewart at Stewart Reptiles

Other:

  • Blushing: Pastels show ‘blushing’ throughout their entire body, usually in-between the “alien head” outlines. When combined with other morphs, these patches of blushing can cause huge contrast in body markings.

Super Form:

(Pastel X Pastel)

The homozygous or “Super” Pastel, usually retains its yellow coloration later into life, has a more reduced “alien head” pattern, a noticeable faded head and extensive blushing throughout that often looks to have a blue/purple hue.

|602x501.4232567674604

Image from GLD Reptiles

Known Issues: N/A

Useful links:

Compare to a Normal Ball Python

Buy a Pastel Ball Python

Help Identifying your Pastel

Let’s See Them Pastels

Other images of Pastels:

Image from MI Reptiles

|602x451.0619689698552

Image from PJC Ball Pythons

Multiple Gene Pastels:

Super Pastel Lesser Clown

Image from Deborah Stewart at Stewart Reptiles

Pastel Black Pastel

Image from Deborah Stewart at Stewart Reptiles

Pastel Enchi

Image from Deborah Stewart at Stewart Reptiles

2.Piebald

Morph Encyclopedia: #0002

Thomas Eagle - Eagle Reptiles

PIEBALD
“PIED”

Image from Deborah Stewart at Stewart Reptiles

Base Morph Recessive

INTRODUCTION:

The word piebald originates from a combination of “pie,” from magpie, and “bald”, meaning white patch or spot. The reference is to the distinctive black-and-white plumage of the magpie.

Snakes, especially ball pythons, may also exhibit varying patches of completely pigmentless scales along with patches of pigmented scales.

VISUAL DESCRIPTION

Head: Resembles the head of a Normal ball python, usually black or dark brown with stripes on both sides, normally just behind the nostrils. The pattern tends to start in a ‘Y’ shape at the top of the neck. Most piebald ball pythons have patterned heads, though some can be mostly white with just a slight smudge.

Image from Deborah Stewart at Stewart Reptiles

Body: The body of the Piebald ball python is one of the most recognisable in the reptile hobby. The sharp contrast between an unrecognisable pattern and bright white scales make “pied” still one of the most powerful genes in many breeders collections. Where ‘alien heads’ would be on a normal ball python, blotches and stripes show down the body of the Piebald. The amount of pattern is completely random and can range from completely absent (high white) to covering the snakes whole body (low white).

Image from Deborah Stewart at Stewart Reptiles

Belly: The bright white belly of Piebalds are usually free from markings, leaving a smooth glossy row of ventral scales, though some may show spots or smudges.

Image from Deborah Stewart at Stewart Reptiles

Tail: Piebalds tails can vary from being completely white or full of pattern. Piebalds tend to show most of the pattern higher up the body, with it decreasing towards the tail and it is only in rare cases have they been documented to have a completely or near patternless upper body.

Image from Deborah Stewart at Stewart Reptiles

Other:

  • Ringers - Ball Pythons sometimes show visual ‘paradoxes’ such as unusually placed markings or blotches of discolored scales. Piebald Ball Pythons seem to have offspring that show this trait more frequently than other morphs in what is referred to as a ‘ringer’, where a ring or patch of scales is different to what it should be, considering our current understanding of their biology.

Image from Holly Jenkins

  • Spots - On rare instances, some Piebalds can have ‘paradox’ spots, which can be from individual scales to clusters.

Image from Deborah Stewart at Stewart Reptiles

Known Issues: all Piebald Blue Eyed Leucistics have Microphthalmia. (developmental disorder of the eye in which one or both eyes are abnormally small and have anatomic malformations.)

Useful links:

Compare to a Normal Ball Python

Buy a Piebald Ball Python

Help Identifying your Piebald

Wikipedia - Piebald

Show us your Pied stuff!

Piebald rules!

Other images of Piebalds:

Image from unkn0vvn1221

Image from Brandon Osborne at Osborne Reptiles

Multiple Gene Piebalds:

Pinstripe Piebald

Image from Deborah Stewart at Stewart Reptiles

Banana Piebald

Image from Deborah Stewart at Stewart Reptiles

Black Pastel Piebald

Image from Deborah Stewart at Stewart Reptiles

Albino Piebald

Image from Deborah Stewart at Stewart Reptiles

3.Clown

Morph Encyclopedia: #0003

Thomas Eagle - Eagle Reptiles

CLOWN

Image from Deborah Stewart at Stewart Reptiles

Base Morph Recessive

INTRODUCTION:

The first wild-caught Clown Ball Python had small dark tear markings beneath the eye that reminded Vida Preciosa International Inc, the original producer of the Clown, of tear drops often displayed by clowns, giving it the name.

VISUAL DESCRIPTION

Head: Compared to the clean dark head of a Normal Ball Python, the Clown is bright and busy, with markings showing above the lips, beneath the eyes and the crown of the head.

Image from Deborah Stewart at Stewart Reptiles

Body: The Clown Ball Python has a hugely reduced pattern with a thick dark brown dorsal stripe and only slight banding from the “alien heads” of a Normal. Patterns are crisp and clean, with less spots and smudges showing.

Image from Deborah Stewart at Stewart Reptiles

Belly: The belly of the Clown Ball Python is usually a clean with a yellow undertone running down the central scales and the outer edges showing faded spotting.

Image from Deborah Stewart at Stewart Reptiles

Tail: The tail of the Clown Ball Python is usually dominated by the thick dark dorsal stripe.

|773.2297091248201x451

Image from Shane Kinney at Shane Kinney Reptiles

Other:

  • Tear drops: Clowns usually show teardrop banding down their body, which can range in thickness and length.

Known Issues: N/A

Useful links:

Compare to a Normal Ball Python

Buy a Clown Ball Python

Help Identifying your Clown

Clown and clown combo thread!

Show me your adult clown bps

Post shed Clown clutch

Other images of Clown:

Image from unkn0vvn1221

Image from jones810975

Multiple Gene Clowns:

Pinstripe Clown

Image from Deborah Stewart at Stewart Reptiles

Banana Clown

Image from Deborah Stewart at Stewart Reptiles

5.Albino

Morph Encyclopedia: #0005

Thomas Eagle - Eagle Reptiles

ALBINO
“Amelanistic”

Image from Deborah Stewart at Stewart Reptiles

Base Morph Recessive

INTRODUCTION:

The Albino Ball Python is possibly one of the most notable morphs is the reptile hobby. Albinos are amelanistic, taking all dark pigmentation and leaving bright yellows, sharp whites and a outlineless pattern. Bob Clark Reptiles proved the Albino as the first recessive Ball Python morph.

VISUAL DESCRIPTION

Head: A bright yellow crown sits on top of the Albinos head, stripes cross both through and under the bright red eyes caused by amelanistism.

Image from Deborah Stewart at Stewart Reptiles

Body: The body of the Albino Ball Python has a normal pattern, but where the black pattern elements are white and the tan “alien heads” pattern elements are orange or dark yellow in hatchlings and bright yellow in adults.

Image from Deborah Stewart at Stewart Reptiles

Belly: The belly of a Albino is usually completely glossy white with no spotting or smudges. The “alien head” pattern from the sides can be seen fading as the scales meet.

Image from Deborah Stewart at Stewart Reptiles

Tail: As with the Normal Ball Python, Albinos tails tend to come to an end with a thin stripe or beads of pattern.

|602x462.62423705912505Image from Manny Frade at Perfect Predators

Other:

Known Issues: N/A

Useful links:

Compare to a Normal Ball Python

Buy a Albino Ball Python

Help Identifying your Albino

What’s the difference between albino and leucistic?

Albinos… Where are they at?

Other images of Albinos:

Image from unkn0vvn1221

Image from Manny Frade at Perfect Predators

Multiple Gene Albinos:

Albino Black Pastel

Image from Deborah Stewart at Stewart Reptiles

Albino Piebald

Lavender Albino

Morph Encyclopedia: #0006

Thomas Eagle - Eagle Reptiles

LAVENDER ALBINO
“Lavender/Lav”

Image from Ryan Homsey

Base Morph Recessive

INTRODUCTION:

The Lavender Albino Ball Python is separate genetical line to the Albino Ball Python that are non related. Breeding a Lavender Albino to a Albino will produce double heterozygous (‘het’) offspring, with none visually carrying both genes. It is a colour mutation, meaning the pattern of a Normal Ball Python remains largely untouched but effects the pigmentations.

Lavenders show a lavender colour, in contrast to the bright white of a Albino, where the black or dark brown of a Normal Ball Python is.

VISUAL DESCRIPTION

Head: The head of a Lavender Albino Ball Python is topped with a golden yellow/orange crown, to match the colouration of the rest of its body, with the stripes of a Normal Ball Python showing through and under the eyes. Lips can be pink, lavender or rich yellow.

|643.3091288004067x451Image from SnakesSK

Body: The Lavender Albino still carries the ‘alien heads’ pattern of a Normal Ball Python but all dark pigmentation is stripped away, which gives it a large contrast against the purples, especially into adulthood.

|681.2910036292573x451Image from Martin Ender at Piebald Rules

Belly: Lavender Albino Ball Pythons very rarely show any marking on their bellies, leaving a bright white set of scales.

Image from unkn0vvn1221

Tail: The tail of a Lavender Albino is just like a Normal pattern wise but following the Lavender coloration.

|769.0038955856307x451Image from TSK, inc

Other:

Known Issues: N/A

Useful links:

Compare to a Normal Ball Python

Buy a Lavender Albino Ball Python

Help Identifying your Albino

What’s the difference between albino and leucistic?

Anyone working with lavender?

Other images of Lavender Albinos :

Image from unkn0vvn1221

Image from Beth Woodyard at Got Balls

Multiple Gene Lavender Albinos:

Dreamsicle (Lavender Albino Piebald)

|675.7218673598082x451

Images from Justin Kobylka at J. Kobylka Reptiles

Right: Lavender Albino Pastel Het Piebald

Left: Yellowbelly Piebald Het Lavender Albino

Image from Ryan Homsey

7.Fire

8.Pinstripe

Morph Encyclopedia: #0008

Thomas Eagle - Eagle Reptiles

PINSTRIPE
“Pin”

|623.090264625753x451Image from A Tinge Of Ginge

Base Morph Incomplete Dominant (co-dom)

INTRODUCTION:

The Pinstripe Ball Python is a “co-dom” morph that exhibits large changes compared to the Normal Ball Pythons pattern scheme, with both pattern and colouration being altered.

VISUAL DESCRIPTION

Head: The head of a Pinstripe Ball Python is topped with a dark, almost chocolate like, crown that tends to fade into the neck. Pinstripes usually have a spot of pattern in the centre of the crown and serrated stripes through their eyes.

|649.5349601543068x451Image from I.G Royals.

Body: The body of a Pinstripe Ball Python is usually dominated by a thick contrasting dorsal stripe from neck to tail, with dark-brown/black “pinstripes” down either side. The sides are patterned with ‘water droplet’ shaped lines over a tanned-brown/golden backdrop of side scales.

Image from Matt Byram at Matt Byram Exotics

Belly: The ventral scales of the Pinstripe Ball Python usually carry a golden undertone and can range from completely crisp and clean to almost murky and spotted with dark markings.

Image from Holly Jenkins

Tail: The Tail of the Pinstripe Ball Python normally follows the dorsal stripe pattern with the ‘water droplets’ becoming less frequent and prominent.

|624.5257294928749x451Image from Genetic Vault Reptiles

Other:

Known Issues: N/A

Useful links:

Compare to a Normal Ball Python

Buy a Pinstripe Ball Python

Help Identifying your Pinstripe

Show us them Pins

Other images of Pinstripes:

Image from Space Coast Reptiles

|602x466.38931742999586

Image from Andrej Švábik at Andrej Švábik

Multiple Gene Pinstripes :

Desert Ghost Pinstripe

Image from Angrypanda

Black Pastel Vanilla Pinstripe Ghost

Image from Denise Regalado at DaDe_Reptiles

9.Yellowbelly
10.Banana (killing me slowly doing this one)

3 Likes

Also how does the “hide details” feature on here look to keep this thread cleaner?

If you click on the morph names on my above comment, they should expand.

Just some ideas,
Spider
Spotnose
Blade
Hidden gene woma
Black head
Chocolate
Enchi
Orange dream
Desert ghost
Hypo/ghost
Tri-stripe

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Spider, Spotnose, Enchi and Desert Ghost were in my choices aswel.

I’m dreading doing Spider and HGW, I feel like there is far too much false and wrongly spread info on them online and I don’t want to become another source of bad info.

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Well you have many reliable people on here to rely on to help you along! You could make a separate thread about those morphs for the other members to contribute to as far as the morphs you need help with like the spider and HGW

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I think we have the threads already that could contain the right info but the due to it being debated between people rather than discussed the answers are a bit rough around the edges.

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Maybe for the spider and other wobble morphs you could put why people like it and why they dont? Only because there will be different perspectives on those

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With the other pages so far I have added a ‘Useful Links’ section, so I may put links to certain discussions on here that fight the corner of both pros and cons. I don’t want it to end up seeming like a Spider bashing page though.

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That’s such a great resource you’ve started! I love that you include diagnostics like head stamps and belly shots. I’d continue with the base morphs (hypo, OD, BEL complex, YB complex, Pinstripe, etc…) and just keep going at your own pace :+1:

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Thank you :grin: :grin: I’ve tried to include any variation from a normal ball python that I can.
Base morphs are my plan for now but I feel a few will take longer to complete than others ( BEL, Spider, Banana…) so I’m slowly working on them.

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Banana ought to be a fun one because you could explain the female makers and male makers with bananas.

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Just love what you are doing here. Great info and can’t wait to see more coming. I really have respect for the work you put in this.

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That’s the bit that is killing me, it’s hard to word without it becoming a 4 part genetics lesson :joy:

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Thank you so much, that really means a lot. I wouldn’t be able to do any of this with you guys so thank you (to all of you) :blush:

1 Like