what is a morp/genetic?

my bp is the first snake ive ever owned. I've learned a great deal of information from all of you here. But one thing i havent been able to figure out is, what exactly is a morph and genetic? Sry if its a stupid question, i just gotta know lol.

A "morph" is a color and/or pattern that is different from the typical "wild type" or "normal." An albino (yellow and white with red eyes) is a morph that looks extremely different from a normal. A pastel is a morph that has brighter colors and usually lots more blushing, but may look "normal" to an untrained eye.


Both of these morphs, and many many others, are "genetic" which means a specific gene carries the mutation and it can be passed on to offspring.

Some morphs look differently enough from a normal to be called a "morph" but have not yet proven to be "genetic"...meaning, the trait has not been reproduced after multiple generations of offspring.

a morph is a genetic mutation. whether it be co-dominant,recessive(sp?), or dominant anything that is genetic (if you breed it eventually you will make more of that apperence). the same applies to all animals(recessive,co-dom,dom) except most of the time the term "morph" only occurs in reptiles :)

NERD has some good articles on genetics and morphs. Here is a link:


http://www.newenglandreptile.com/genetics_intro.html