Firstly are tables categorising the most popular Leopard Gecko and Royal Python morphs and below that tables showing in pictoral form the outcomes of different pairings. This is a very basic guide but we hope you will be able to take it a stage further based on the information below. At the bottom of the page is a short glossary of terms. Just hover your mouse over terms in bold to see an explanation - good luck!!

Royal Pythons

RECESSIVE	CO-DOMINANT	DOMINANT
Albino Caramel Albino Axanthic Clown Piebald Ghost/Hypo Genetic Stripe	Pastel Mojave Yellow Belly Woma Red Axanthic Lesser Platinum Butter Black Pastel Cinnamon Fire Calico Phantom Spotnose	Spider Pinstripe Granite

 Leopard Geckos 

RECESSIVE	CO-DOMINANT	DOMINANT
Bell Albino Tremper Albino Blizzard Murphy Patternless Reverse Stripe Eclipse	Mack Snow Giant	Enigma TUG Snow

It should be noted that there are a number of 'Line Bred' traits which are only passed from generation to generation through selectively breeding for that trait. Such traits can be colour or pattern traits as for example, the tangerine colour or carrot tail traits in Leopard Gecko's.

Please find below breeding outcomes of crossing the various traits identified above, where % outcomes are given the % figure represents the % chance each animal has of being Het:

RECESSIVE
Heterozygous x Normal = All normal offspring 50% 'het'
		=
Het	Normal		50% het	50% het	50% het	50% het
Heterozygous x Heterozygous = 75% normal offspring 66% 'het' and 25% Homozygous (visual)
		=
Het Albino	Het Albino		66% het Albino	66% het Albino	66% het Albino	Albino
Homozygous x Normal = All normal offspring 100% het
		=
Albino	Normal		100% het Albino	100% het Albino	100% het Albino	100% het Albino
Homozygous x Heterozygous = 50% Homozygous, 50% heterozygous
		=
Albino	100% het Albino		100% het Albino	100% het Albino	Albino	Albino
Homozygous x Homozygous = 100% Homozygous
		=
Albino	Albino		Albino	Albino	Albino	Albino

 

 

CO_DOMINANT
Co-Dominant x Normal = 50% Normal, 50% Co-Dominant
		=
Co-Dom	Normal		Co-Dom	Co-Dom	Normal	Normal
Co-Dominant x Co-Dominant = 50% Co-Dominant, 25% Homozygous (super form), 25% Normal
		=
Co-Dom	Co-Dom		Co-Dom	Co-Dom	'Super' co-dom	Normal
Homozygous (super) x Normal = 100% Co-Dominant
		=
Homozygous	Normal		Co-Dom	Co-Dom	Co-Dom	Co-Dom
Homozygous x Co-Dominant = 50% Homozygous, 50% Co-Dominant
		=
Homozygous	Co-Dom		Homozygous	Homozygous	Co-Dom	Co-Dom
Homozygous x Homozygous = 100% Homozygous
		=
Homozygous	Homozygous		Homozygous	Homozygous	Homozygous	Homozygous

 

 

DOMINANT
Heterozygous x Normal = 50% Normal, 50% Heterozygous
		=
Heterozygous	Normal		Heterozygous	Heterozygous	Normal	Normal
Heterozygous x Heterozygous = 25% Homozygous, 50% Heterozygous, 25% Normal
		=
Heterozygous	Heterozygous		Homozygous	Heterozygous	Heterozygous	Normal
Homozygous x Normal = 100% Heterozygous
		=
Homozygous	Normal		Heterozygous	Heterozygous	Heterozygous	Heterozygous
Homozygous x Heterozygous = 50% Homozygous, 50% Heterozygous
		=
Homozygous	Heterozygous		Homozygous	Homozygous	Heterozygous	Heterozygous
Homozygous x Homozygous = 100% Homozygous
		=
Homozygous	Homozygous		Homozygous	Homozygous	Homozygous	Homozygous

 

IMPORTANT TERMS

Morph: this is effectively the name given to a non-wild type (or 'normal') trait in any species. Traits can be recessive, co-dominant, Dominant or Line-Bred (see below). Traits can be described as colour or pattern mutations or both. Such traits can be found naturally occurring in the wild.

Designer Morphs: this term describes a morph created in captivity and will comprise two or more traits. Due to the rare occurance of morphs in the wild it is highly unlikely (although not impossible) to find a designer morph from wild caught stock. To be recognised as a new designer morph it must be bred in successive generations to prove its traits are genetically inheritable and to determine the nature of the trait.

Homozygous: Homo means 'the same' and describes an animal that visually displays a trait (its phenotype) because it has two of the same genes for that trait.

Heterozygous: Hetero means 'different'. When one parent is homozygous and the other is normal only one gene for the trait will be passed to the offspring and it will be described as being heterozygous (or het for short) for that trait because it has two different genes.

Recessive: recessive animals require two genes of the same trait for it to display it visually. Animals that only carry one gene for a recessive trait will not visually display that trait and are commonly referred to as 'Het' or Heterozygous (Hetero meaning different).

Co-Dominant: Traits that are described as being co-dominant are basically traits that create visual morphs when animals only have one gene for that trait. When two of the same co-dominant morphs mate a 'super form' (also called Homozygous) is created when offspring carry both genes.

Dominant:  Dominant traits act in a similar way to co-dominant's. However, no super form is produced when two Dominant animals mate. Wild type animals are all Dominant as a wild type to any other animal will always produce some wild type offspring. Because there is no 'super' form it is impossible to tell visually whether a Dominant morph carries one or two dominant genes. This can only be determined by crossing it with a normal. In the illustrations given here we refer to a dominant morph with one dominant gene as 'heterozygous.

When considering what breeding outcomes to expect from pairing two morphs or designer morphs you will now appreciate the importance of knowing the individual traits within each.