Wasn't really sure where I was going to post this... But I was talking to a friend, who is also a geneticist (shes currently working on the genetics of epilepsy in dogs and it's implications to human epilepsy), about the possibilities/cost benefit of establishing genetic markers for BP morphs and breeding possibilities. One question which came up was whether or not they were capable of parthenogenesis as she had come across the following article-Burmese Pythons, which I thought some here might find interesting as well:

http://www.nature.com/hdy/journal/v9.../6800210a.html

Unfortunately our discussion on the cost benefits of establishing genetic markers and testing in BP morphs (if anyone's interested there, although off topic for my own thread) has come down to the following comments:

Quote Originally Posted by Jen
"$450/individual if you have the markers, and there's not markers for snake yet, so make that $60 x ~$500 = $30,000 start up cost. unless they did make snake markers in which case they'll sell you the set for $5000 or more - markers are species specific and they are physical things you need to assay. the experiment requires looking at 500 markers, and you have to make teh chemicals to test 500 markers (since i'm sure they dont' exist yet for snake) and making the chemicals is $30,000 - if they'd made a SNP chip for snakes, it would be easy, but that will never happen. ie/ if these were humans, easy."
In other words... Not likely any time soon, but it sure would take the risk out of buying hets!!!!