This is the only morph who's common name is also the scientific description of the look. "Axanthic" means lacking in yellow pigment. Babies are born a striking silver and black. The amount of yellow pigment increases in all ball pythons as they mature. This usually shows up in Axanthics as well, so they will "brown out" as adults. The degree to which this happens, though, varies a lot between animals. Careful selective breeding and combining with other morphs will produce adults just as striking as the babies appear.
This is a morph in which the "line" your Axanthic comes from is important. There are several lines proven out so far, and none of them have been shown to be compatible with each other. The most common lines are VPI, Jolliff, and TSK. If you breed two VPI Axanthics together, all the babies will be Axanthic. But if you breed a VPI and a Jolliff, then all the babies will look normal, but be het for both lines.
The first Axanthic line was proven genetic by VPI in 1997.
https://ball-pythons.net/images/morp...i-emilio-2.jpg
VPI w/ normal - Emilio - Emilio Villarino
https://ball-pythons.net/images/morp...vpi-emilio.jpg
VPI w/ normal - Emilio - Emilio Villarino
https://ball-pythons.net/images/morp...-jsmoprhs2.jpg
VPI - jsmoprhs2 - Jess DeMarco
https://ball-pythons.net/images/morp...i-muddoc-2.jpg
VPI hatchling - muddoc - Tim Bailey
https://ball-pythons.net/images/morp...i-muddoc-3.jpg
VPI - muddoc - Tim Bailey
https://ball-pythons.net/images/morp...i-muddoc-4.jpg
VPI w/ normal - muddoc - Tim Bailey
https://ball-pythons.net/images/morp...vpi-muddoc.jpg
VPI adult - muddoc - Tim Bailey
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