Are morphs endless??

[Mitch21]

I've been sitting here looking at pictures of some of my favorite morphs (toffees, bananas, pieds...the list goes on!) and I started thinking about where the natural ball python morphs will end. I'm not talking about all the different morph combinations that can be made in captivity... I'm asking what are everyone's thoughts on the new morphs that are made in the wild in Africa and shipped over here in wholesale lots or other ways?

How many more years do you think natural morphs produced in the wild will continue to hatch and be brought over to the US? Will different mutations continue to arise forever??


I guess I'm just having one of the awestruck moments where I just can't believe how amazing some of these Ball Python morphs are and I wanted to get anyone else's views...

[771subliminal]

it basicly could never end. its nature at anytime anything can cause a genetic change in a few bps.

[CoolioTiffany]

Snakes in the wild and snakes bred in captivity will probably always be making new morphs. I think it wouldn't stop since many breeders are trying to come up with more and more different morphs each year. Some of the extraordinary morphs produced in captivity are banana clowns and panda pieds. Panda pieds are worth.. maybe 20k at the most (that's what I was told..)? And banana clowns are worth a good 40k. Just image how many more morphs will be created and how much the value of that morph will be. One day, I know there will be some amazing morph costing AT LEAST 100k.

[Bleepr]

A morph is essentially a genetic quirk. So basically, yes, morphs are endless. However subtle, there are differences between ball pythons, and each one of those subtle differences could lead to an even more dramatic difference.

[I<3Dreamsicles]

Snakes in the wild and snakes bred in captivity will probably always be making new morphs. I think it wouldn't stop since many breeders are trying to come up with more and more different morphs each year. Some of the extraordinary morphs produced in captivity are banana clowns and panda pieds. Panda pieds are worth.. maybe 20k at the most (that's what I was told..)? And banana clowns are worth a good 40k. Just image how many more morphs will be created and how much the value of that morph will be. One day, I know there will be some amazing morph costing AT LEAST 100k.

Dreamsicle?

i dont get morphs... well i do..

Im not sure how the whole breeding thing works becuase people pay a bunch for a morph then when you breed them and make more technically it should make them less valuable since they arent as rare anymore. Seriously who can honestly say that ANY snake should be worth or cost $40,000
or even 20,000.

[Seneschal]

Dreamsicle?

i dont get morphs... well i do..

Im not sure how the whole breeding thing works becuase people pay a bunch for a morph then when you breed them and make more technically it should make them less valuable since they arent as rare anymore. Seriously who can honestly say that ANY snake should be worth or cost $40,000
or even 20,000.

Why is art so expensive? Why is a big piece of cloth stretched over a wooden frame with random splotches of pigmentation slapped onto it sold for a million dollars or more at auction? We do not put a price on beauty which reflects some sort of physical need or desire which it may fulfil; we do not wish to surround ourselves with things which are beautiful because they serve some purpose, or have some practical function. We desire beautiful things, even things which have no purpose or practical function, because they enrich our lives and give meaning to those plain, practical, functional things we must have. They have great value for that quality; the quality which enriches us in some way not physical.

No, maybe a snake isn't, practically speaking, worth $20,000, but then, is a box with thousands of tiny lights which serves no purpose other than to entertain us worth several thousand dollars? Is a movie, which serves no practical purpose, worth the money we spend--is Harry Potter 6 worth the $79.5 million dollars it earned in the opening weekend?

Maybe it is, and maybe it isn't, but there's always a reason that things are priced the way they are. Maybe to you that snake isn't worth $20,000, but certainly, to someone else it is.


To address the OP, I have no clue! I love to think about it, and always look forward to seeing what new genetic mutation we'll see from Africa each year. It's fun to see what else there is out there; almost as fun as it is to speculate.

[sg1trogdor]

Snakes in the wild and snakes bred in captivity will probably always be making new morphs. I think it wouldn't stop since many breeders are trying to come up with more and more different morphs each year. Some of the extraordinary morphs produced in captivity are banana clowns and panda pieds. Panda pieds are worth.. maybe 20k at the most (that's what I was told..)? And banana clowns are worth a good 40k. Just image how many more morphs will be created and how much the value of that morph will be. One day, I know there will be some amazing morph costing AT LEAST 100k.

Op wasn't referring to designer morphs. He meant morphs occurring naturally. Such as the first of every base morph we have. No one made a spider, cinny, or an albino, They were found in nature and shipped over here where someone took them and tried reproducing them. As for whether its unlimited I say yes. As long as Ball pythons are around in nature there will be genetic defects which someone will find and exploit.

[sg1trogdor]

Why is art so expensive? Why is a big piece of cloth stretched over a wooden frame with random splotches of pigmentation slapped onto it sold for a million dollars or more at auction? We do not put a price on beauty which reflects some sort of physical need or desire which it may fulfil; we do not wish to surround ourselves with things which are beautiful because they serve some purpose, or have some practical function. We desire beautiful things, even things which have no purpose or practical function, because they enrich our lives and give meaning to those plain, practical, functional things we must have. They have great value for that quality; the quality which enriches us in some way not physical.

No, maybe a snake isn't, practically speaking, worth $20,000, but then, is a box with thousands of tiny lights which serves no purpose other than to entertain us worth several thousand dollars? Is a movie, which serves no practical purpose, worth the money we spend--is Harry Potter 6 worth the $79.5 million dollars it earned in the opening weekend?

Maybe it is, and maybe it isn't, but there's always a reason that things are priced the way they are. Maybe to you that snake isn't worth $20,000, but certainly, to someone else it is.


To address the OP, I have no clue! I love to think about it, and always look forward to seeing what new genetic mutation we'll see from Africa each year. It's fun to see what else there is out there; almost as fun as it is to speculate.

Very well put. Its a buyers market. A banana clown isn't worth a dime if no one wants to buy it. But I wish I could lol. And this is for Tiffany prices always drop. 10 years ago a pastel could have cost you thousands but theres soo many of them now that supply has far surpassed demand so the price has dropped. The more rare an item is the more expensive it is.

[I<3Dreamsicles]

Why is art so expensive? Why is a big piece of cloth stretched over a wooden frame with random splotches of pigmentation slapped onto it sold for a million dollars or more at auction? We do not put a price on beauty which reflects some sort of physical need or desire which it may fulfil; we do not wish to surround ourselves with things which are beautiful because they serve some purpose, or have some practical function. We desire beautiful things, even things which have no purpose or practical function, because they enrich our lives and give meaning to those plain, practical, functional things we must have. They have great value for that quality; the quality which enriches us in some way not physical.

No, maybe a snake isn't, practically speaking, worth $20,000, but then, is a box with thousands of tiny lights which serves no purpose other than to entertain us worth several thousand dollars? Is a movie, which serves no practical purpose, worth the money we spend--is Harry Potter 6 worth the $79.5 million dollars it earned in the opening weekend?

Maybe it is, and maybe it isn't, but there's always a reason that things are priced the way they are. Maybe to you that snake isn't worth $20,000, but certainly, to someone else it is.

Well harry potter 6 doesnt cost 79.5 million$$$ to watch. Thats a total world wide. If your trying to compair like that think of all the ball pythons sold world wide morphs included.
That snake is only worth $20,000 because the breeder knows someone else wants to buy it and make their own to sell.

No a box with lights isnt worth several thousand dollars. BUT thoes boxes decrease in value as they become less common. Im saying morphs should too.

also ART isnt sold for millions of dollars unless its by some famous artist, and who every buys it is most likley rich or obsessed with art. Or a museum.
idk about you but im not gonna spend a bunch of money on something just because it looks good. Especially a peice of canvas.

[AaronP]

Technically no, as long as nature continues to like to throw curve balls we'll always have a nice repository for morphs.

No a box with lights isnt worth several thousand dollars. BUT thoes boxes decrease in value as they become less common. Im saying morphs should too.

Common is a relative term, why is that I see Pastels selling for $75, the same price as a Normal BP @ Petco when Pastels, compared to normals, are still comparatively uncommon.