Morphs Explained

All ball pythons look slightly different from others, similar to how no two zebras look the same. Usually the differences are subtle, but some ball pythons have highly unusual colors or patterns. When these unusual physical traits can be passed on to a snake’s offspring it is called polymorphism.

Polymorphism is a natural genetic mutation that causes variance in a species’ physical traits, affecting color, pattern, eye color, size, etc. This is how animals of the same species, with the same genetics, can vary so widely in physical appearance. The term morph describes the genetic mutations that alter a reptile’s appearance.

Morphs are discovered by isolating underlying genetic mutations that occur naturally in the wild. Specific traits are then proven to be genetic, meaning they can be inherited by a snake’s offspring. Through selective breeding these genes are combined, creating unique ball python morphs with interesting patterns and vivid color variations. Due to seemingly infinite combinations, there are possibly thousands of ball python morphs.