Normal????

What is normal anymore? Seems that every color varience has been named something.

Usually, it's not just about "color". It's also about patterning, like blushing, flames, spots etc. I agree that there are such subtle differences sometimes and that "normals" can be many different colors, shades and patterns. But once you know the differences in the morphs it becomes obvious.

It still does not make since to me, I am told that color / patterning varies greatly in normals yet I am told that there are such subtle differences between some of the morphs. I sometimes think everyone has gone morph overboard on what they call a new morph. What is there now over 1300 morphs? Seems a little rediculous when most of them are normal looking. It would be the same a calling a person something new because they have a freckle that passes on from one to another.?????????????????????? If you look at most of the other types of snakes they have not gone overboard on small differnces in color or pattern on normals, they are just considerd a neat normal.???

Please do not get me wrong anyone, there are definite cut and dry morphs, and some real nice ones.

unless its a noticable morph anything else that looks normal is still just a normal to me.. mine has bright colors, redish blushings on its back, white blusings on its side, and a bright yellow line down its tail and yet i been told its a nice normal..

Take a look at a specter... many of them look exactly like a normal... but you can breed all the normals you want to a yellowbelly and you will get only yellowbellies and normals. You will not get anything near something like the superstripe when breeding normals as you would from breeding a yellowbelly and specter. Morphs are not just valued for their outward appearance, but their genetic possibilities. There are some normals that look similar to granites, and some granites aren't that stunning, but mix them with other morphs, and you get something eniterly different, and something that would never happen with a non-morph normal, that simply has markings similar to a granite.

My point is, this hobby is usually pretty careful about calling something a new Morph unless it can be proven to be genetically reproducable. Each snake is different, and normals vary drastically, but that doesn't make everything a Morph. Also, don't mistake base morphs with all the different names that exist for their combinations.

To add to what Anatopism said, the 1300 morphs on WOBP are mostly combos, to see how many base morphs there really are, count the number of options in the genetic wizard, but even then be careful not to count supers that are listed.

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Originally Posted by BigBass10

I am told that there are such subtle differences between some of the morphs. I sometimes think everyone has gone morph overboard on what they call a new morph. What is there now over 1300 morphs?.

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For it to be a new morph it has to be proven out, so say a snake has a really cool trait to it that looks different it's not going to be considered a new morph until its proven genetic.

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Originally Posted by BigBass10

What is there now over 1300 morphs? Seems a little rediculous when most of them are normal looking.

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No, most (meaning a majority) of them do not look like a wild type Normal.

Right. A Russo may look like a very pretty normal, and there are more than likely plenty of normals out there that look quite a bit like a Russo....but Russo is het for blue-eyed leucistic, and you won't get a blue-eyed white snake by breeding any normals that just happen to look like Russos together.

Hets look completely normal, but, 'bam'--when you breed them together, you get something that doesn't look remotely like a normal.

Some co-dominant morphs are extremely subtle, but their homozygous forms are not subtle at all.

Would you ever mistake a Calico for a normal? How about a piebald? Het pieds look normal, but that doesn't mean that they are.

I suppose that someone will find a morph one day that breeds true, but just doesn't do more than put a funny spot on the snake, but I don't think it's happened yet. :)

Thank you for all the input. I see now that the only way to tell if you have a "odd" normal or one of the morphs that has subtle changes from a normal is to start breeding it to prove it out. It is just finding what to breed it too, lol.
Thanks again.