2 Bumble Bee siblings........

These two are from the same clutch, but the differences are night and day. Why is this? I know that genes vary, but this much.......

The "nicer" Bumble Bee
http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/a...C_0035copy.jpg
http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/a...DSC_0056-1.jpg
http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/a...C_0040copy.jpg

And the "dirtier" Bumble Bee
http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/a...C_0013copy.jpg
http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/a...C_0010copy.jpg

There are thousands of genes that determine how an animal looks, we can only identify just over 100 of them in ball pythons. What you see at work there is the other genes at work we cannot identify.

What was the breeding? If both parents were pastel then that could also be one bee is more daddy one more mommy.

There are tons if genes at play here. That is why you don't just get a pastel, you look at more of the snake.

Breeding was from Pastel mother(cypress creek-2007 hatchling) and Spider father(Tremper-2008 hatchling). Both were first time breeders. I also have a third from this clutch, and it has a look in between these two. My thoughts were that the "dirty" bees has more influence from dad(spider).

Here's one of the spiders offspring from a normal female. She has dad's stripe!
http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/a...8/DSC_0004.jpg

It's completely normal to get babies that look quite different, especially in multigene animals-there are so many gene combinations going on.

I think what you're looking at is the natural variation that enables selective breeding! :gj:

(Love that striper spider, BTW :) )