Ball Python Morphs are Ball Python snakes that have been selectively bred for a specific color or pattern appearance.
Morphs are bred by specialized snake breeders who try to isolate mutations found naturally in the wild. They use selective breeding to produce especially vivid and interesting color variations.
The genes that make up ball python morphs are passed on through inheritance – just like with humans. That is why genes can be dominant, recessive, or codominant. Breeders look to exploit these three genes to produce different morphs:
Codominance – occurs when the offspring inherits two alleles (alternative forms of a gene) that have incomplete dominance. This allows a unique combination of visible traits.
Dominant – dominant alleles hide the effects of the second allele and “dominate” the pattern or coloration.
Recessive – recessive alleles are “hidden genes” that only show up when they are paired with another recessive trait.
Below is a list of key terms you should get to know before exploring our list of Ball Python Morphs:
Alien Heads – distorted heart-shaped blotches containing two symmetrical dark spots, like a pair of eyes.
Basic morph – Base morphs are naturally mutated snakes that occurred in the wild or have a high likelihood of having originated there.
Blushing – the faded color gradient present in the base color of many snakes.
Designer morph – when a breeder selectively breeds two or more basic morphs to create a pattern that has an almost 0% chance of occurring naturally.
Flaming – lighter coloration bordering the sides of keyholes and alien heads around their base.
Keyholes – the balloon-shaped spots on the side that typically have a dark central spot.