What is a Harlequin BP

[SPJ]

Everytime I see an ad for one of these, the snakes never look the same.

What is it that makes a BP a Harlequin?

[lars5277]

I can't find anything on a Harlequin BP, how ever there are Harlequin Boa Constrictors.

[kavmon]

to my knowledge they haven't been proven genetic yet. a few breeders might be working on some lines, but more breeding has to be done. alot of the ads you see now are oddball ch imports.


vaughn

[Chad Schwinn]

Agreed in some respects. All "Harlequins" do not look alike. True, there are some questionable appearing animals out there; they may or may not be Harlequins. I'm not saying that all of them are not; they would have to be bred to prove it.

As I understand it, Harlequins have less yellow than a normal (What is normal anymore???) and are at least partially striped. Within these sections of striping there are off centered sections with dark spots. Some call them keyholes, think of an old skeleton key lying on the spine of the snake.

Some Harlequins have shown to be genetically reproducible, in that Harlequin bred to normal equals approximately half normal and half Harlequin. Others have speculated that Harlequin = Phantom. THIS NEEDS TO BE PROVEN. It takes time to line breed any Ball Python, hopefully someone is working towards that now to see if Harlequin + Harlequin = Super Phantom. Again this HAS NOT been proven and is a guess at this point.

Still others have said that Harlequins are a more brown version of a Mojave, again speculation only.



Somebody prove something already!



Thanks!


Chad Schwinn
www.ChadSchwinnReptiles.com

[mr~python]

can anyone post a pic of one?

[SPJ]

Check here. Adam posted a pic of one of the nicest I have seen yet (he actually has a pair).

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...balls/1j18.jpg

[mr~python]

OH MY GOD!!!!i think zulu is a harlequin!!!!!!!!!!!!!
what do you guys think? hes the snake all curled up

he has that broken stripe down his back!

[Shelby]

Mr python.. no that's a normal snake. Do you see how aberrant the stripe is on the pic in the link?

[mr~python]

oooh, yes. nvm then i have a better pic of him though if you want to see him better that one doesnt even show his whole body, brb



nevermind i dont have enough room on my file to up load it

[justcage]

I beleive that they are just a fluke, but thats just me.. I personally look for a "morph" that looks different than the WT.. Now if it had pyrimids on its sides..lol