As a disclaimer, I will say there is tons of great information on Genetics from some of the biggest breeders in the industry

out there. As one of the people who have read said information, I can say that some of them are incredibly confusing. A lot have confusing vocabulary. I feel many of them are designed for those who already have somewhat of an understanding of Ball Python morphs or just genetics in general. This is a very basic introduction to single gene morphs with simple language that I hope is easy to understand. Recessive Recessive traits are genes that must be present in both parents in order for the same trait to show in the offspring. A great example is the Albino mutation. When crossing an albino with a normal Ball Python you get into the world of heterozygous traits or "het(s)". Heterozygous traits are recessive genes that the snake carries, but does not show. When these hets are bred together, some of the offspring will come out with that heterozygous trait! Easier said than understood. The Punnett square will explain what certain crossings with recessive traits and heterozygous traits will yield in offspring. Some examples of recessive morphs are Albino, Piebald, Axanthic, and Genetic Stripe. In this example we will use Albino. Albino(aa) x Albino(aa) a a a aa aa a aa aa In this pairing, all of the offspring will be albino. Albino(aa) x Normal(NN) a a N Na Na N Na Na In this pairing, all of the offspring will be Normal 100% heterozygous for Albino. Next we'll look at what a crossing of these offspring will bring. Normal 100% het Albino(Na) x Normal 100% het Albino(Na) N a N NN Na a Na aa In this pairing, 25% of the offspring will be Albino. The rest of the offspring will be Normal. However, 50% of the offspring will carry the Albino trait. Unfortunately, there is no way to determine which of the rest of the offspring carry the gene. These snakes would then be called

Normal possible 66% het Albino. The only way they can be considered 100% hets is if their genetics are proven out through breeding. Normal(NN) x Normal 100% het Albino(Na) N a N NN Na N NN Na In this pairing, all of the offspring will be Normal 50% possible het Albino. Dominant Dominant genes are traits that always appear in a percentage of the offspring regardless of the pairing. These traits when bred together do not produce a super form. Some examples of dominant morphs include Spider, Pinstripe, and Calico. There are no heterozygous results for Dominant genes. For this example we will use the Spider morph. Spider (Nn) x Spider (Nn) N n N NN Nn n Nn nn In this pairing 75% of the offspring will be Spiders and 25% of the offspring will be Normal. Spider (Nn) x Normal (NN) N N N NN NN n Nn Nn In this pairing, 50% of the offspring will be Spiders and 50% of the offspring will be Normal. Co-Dominant Co-Dominant genes work nearly the same way as Dominant genes. The difference is that when two co-dominant parents of the same trait are bred together, a percentage of the offspring will be in "Super" form. Each trait has a different type of Super form, some enhance already existing colors such as Pastels to Super Pastels. Some change the entire look of the snake such as the Super form of a Mojave: the Blue Eyed Leucistic, a completely white snake with blue eyes. Some examples of co-dominant morphs are Pastel, Mojave, Cinnamon, Lesser, Yellowbelly and Butter. In the example we will use the Mojave. Mojave (Ss) x Mojave (Ss) S s S SS Ss s Ss ss

In this pairing, 50% will be Mojave, 25% will be Normal, and 25% will be Blue Eyed Leucistics or Super Mojaves. Mojave (Ss) x Normal (SS) S S S SS SS s Ss Ss In this pairing, 50% will be Mojaves and 50% will be Normal. Once again, this is just a simple run down of the very basics and working with a single mutation. It gets a lot more complicated as you start adding more mutations in to both the dominant gene and also double recessive traits. Hope this helps clear up some confusion and provides a good foundation of Ball Python Genetics! Here's a couple of tools that can help you out: Genetics Calculator http://www.bhbreptiles.com/main.aspx?Page=MorphWizard Compiled List of Morphs http://www.worldofballpythons.com/morphs/