hooks?

Alright, this may be a stupid question but I'm a little curious... I picked up Pythons of the World Vol. II: Ball Pythons by Dave and Tracey Barker recently. And in the book, there's a small part that discusses "hooks". They describe a hook as a small abnormality in the pattern (pic below), and according to the book, this often indicates that an otherwise normal appearing ball python, is actually het for an "interesting trait".

http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p...kwitharrow.jpg

My question is how accurate is this? And how often does it actually mark a het? Does anyone have more information on these markings or heard anything different? Thanks.

idk but i wanna know now lol

Hooks are cool :nerd:

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h2...sale000124.jpg

Hearts are better :crazy:

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h2...n/bphearts.jpg

I don't have Dave & Tracy's book (yet), what "interesting trait" are we talking about?

Neil

We did this pairing last year because of the "hooks".

Het Pied male ... Normal female (at least I think she is normal)

http://www.sunsetpythons.com/images/cozy.jpg

Neil

well thanks cue, that was helpful... :rolleyes:

and the book didn't specify what "interesting trait", that's just the exact phrasing they used so I thought I would use it the same way... So I'm guessing it could be anything really...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Blake_Herman

well thanks cue, that was helpful... :rolleyes:

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If you liked that..then this will surely strike your fancy :crazy:

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h2.../bpimgtail.jpg

its interesting that you say that cuz im getting a VPI line pastel that has a hook in it
see at bottom. I geuss ill have to breed him out
https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...asjun07-07.jpg

I guess technically the pastel could be het for opal (super pastel)...

this is the one from my collection that I'm curious about. As far as I know, he's just a captive hatched male... but he's bright, and he has that distinct hook... same ball as in the first pic I posted with this thread...

And if it is true, then it would come down to trying to figure out the most obvious thing for it to be het for, and could survive in the wild long enough to reproduce (such as a ghost maybe?)... I'm just going to breed my male out and see what happens, but I guess it wouldn't be a bad idea if you could pair it up with a het that it's likely to be...?

http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p...ver2127072.jpg

Hmmm, I dont know. Ive got a male mojave on the way and he has a hook or teo in his pattern.. Thats interesting though.

and mojave's are het for BEL's... :) so that fits perfectly...

I never thought much about this. Now I am going to have to pull up pics of my snakes to see if they have hooks :) (not home right now..)

I looked. My '05 Graziani pastel has a hook. And lo and behold; his daughter has one also. I already sold off the other babies fathered by him this year, but I will dig up my photos of them..

Dad
http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s...es/ruger-2.jpg

closeup:
http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s.../pstelhook.jpg

And baby with a little bitty hook :) So I proved a hook to be genetic? Should I claim a new morph? Hooker Pastel, I'll call it :D ;)
http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s...ellahooked.jpg

yup, those are definitely hooks... :D I'm thinking there's something to this, but I guess I'll just have to wait and see about my captive hatched male...

thanks for posting the pics...

I just looked at every available het NERD has on their website it could just be a coincident but they all have hooks:
het axan
http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u...hetaxm114g.jpg

pastel het axan
http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u...5gramsMALE.jpg

yellowbelly
http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u...60yb17f94g.jpg

yellowbelly
http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u...60yb18f83g.jpg

yellowbelly
http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u...Bellystuff.jpg

Very interesting stuff :)

I got Hooks!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...lls/2jas26.jpg

FREAKY, Jas!! :D

the question is, is it a het?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jdmls88

the question is, is it a het?

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I'm hoping she is het SS.. lol!

just noticed my cinnamon pastel definately have a hook. I'll take a pic of it tomorrow and post it.

hmm most of my unknown background balls have hooks, along with most of my morphs/hets. I'll upload some pics.

My pastel male:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...s/S6300732.jpg

Pastel female1:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...s/S6300733.jpg

Pastel Female2:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...s/S6300735.jpg

Spider, kind of a hook:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...s/S6300737.jpg

Small pattern female from auburn reptiles:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...s/S6300740.jpg
hmmm is this a 6 or a 9? XD
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...s/S6300742.jpg

Female normal:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...s/S6300744.jpg

Female possible mystery het 2
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...s/S6300745.jpg

Female possible mystery het 1:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...s/S6300747.jpg

Unknown background male:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...s/S6300757.jpg

Unknown background male almost full stripe:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...s/S6300759.jpg

Axanthic girl: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...s/S6300730.jpg

I wanna join the hook fun :taz: Rowan has got a few hooks herself...

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...o/100_1939.jpg

I wanna play!
Naomi... "r"
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c7...itters/075.jpg

Very interesting... I'm off to peek at everyone :D

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k1...11/mojave1.jpg

YEA!!! :banana:

A very big hook

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k1...1/sparrow5.jpg

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Blake_Herman

I guess technically the pastel could be het for opal (super pastel)...

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Het for opal???? :confused: Could this be explained to me????? There is no such thing as a het for opal.

The hooks are nothing special. It's just a marking and has yet to indicate anything but a noraml with a "J" marking on it or some variation. :)

Ra has one! Look Left....

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c70/laooda/002.jpg

This is an old pix of BB from when I got her... but you can see her hook... the other two I posted are obviously morphs, but BB is a normal... it will be interesting to see if she passes it along one day!?!?! Not sure if hers qualifies as a true hook???
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c7...ritters012.jpg

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b2.../crazyneck.jpg


mila my normal high yellow female has a crazy hook too!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by StormDragon

Het for opal???? :confused: Could this be explained to me????? There is no such thing as a het for opal.

The hooks are nothing special. It's just a marking and has yet to indicate anything but a noraml with a "J" marking on it or some variation. :)

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Wrong. This stuck out like a sore thumb so I have to correct it. Even though this person came and went like a typhoon in one day...

A pastel is technically a het for opal (super pastel) because it is heterozygous for the pastel gene, meaning it only carries one copy, therefore a "het". ;)

LOL Connie can I hire you as a private investigator? I need some old issues rectified.:rofl:

For some reason I'm recalling someone saying J hooks were usually found in het for caramel. But I've got a bunch of granity or jungly looking girls that have the hook -- just as I have a bunch of normals that have het pied markers. :rolleyes:

Some of the pictures that were posted aren't considered hooks in my opinion. There are a few were the pattern stretches across the back and joins the other side's pattern. I wouldn't call that a hook. And there are some where the "hook" is really wide and is almost a complete circle. I wouldn't call that a hook either. Could we please not turn this into an indicator that every normal ball python and it's mother are het for something special? I can so see this going that route. The hooks have never ever been proven. I would think that we would know by NOW if it was able to be proven that they indicate an animal that is het for something.