Whats your opinion on BP morphs and other snake and reptile morphs?

[PythonChick]

This point has already been made, but you do in fact see ALL the base morphs in the wild. That is where they come from. Albinos, pastels, spiders, cinnamons, mojaves, lessers, butters, axanthics, caramel albinos, enchi, etc., etc. If a genetic mutation happens in captivity, it CAN happen int he wild. Of course you aren't likely to see the combination morphs in the wild, but that is just an odds game.

On a related note, do you feel the same way about other animals? Say, for example, dog breeds? You certainly don't see Chihuahuas or Bulldogs 'in the wild.' What about production animals (pigs, cattle, sheep, goats, etc.)? Just some food for thought.

[Miko]

Ball python morphs just like any other morphs and are natural, we do not really control their coming into existence through variation of DNA. DNA is like playing telephone where you whisper into one person's ear then into the next person's. Sometimes it just comes out different than it started.

http://bioenergy.asu.edu/photosyn/co...e/dna-rna.html
If you can understand that it may help you with the genetic game of telephone I'm talking about.

We cannot control defects, it's not our fault that they come to be. These "defects" are also sometimes caused a natural variation. So, they exist in the wild as well. That's why human babies come out missing arms, it's not the parent's fault, is it? There is always a chance that things will not go as planned.

Genetic mutation is just variation in DNA, which is completely natural. So, basically it's like Variation in DNA = Genetic mutation = Morph. They're the same.

About inbreeding, I don't know much about but I hear that it's different with mammals in comparison to reptiles. The only reason this happens for mammals is that both relatives could be het for a certain recessive gene that causes something to go wrong. However, inbreeding can also keep lines more 'clean' because of this. Scientists use inbreeding on animals because it keeps their experiments more controlled because the mice or whatever they are breeding are more similar. (Think of a controlled variable.)

In a sense you dislike variation and you dislike lack of variation which just makes your argument a little off. Since inbreeding causes a lack of variation in DNA and morphs are a variation of DNA. I hope you do some research in the future and learn more about genetics and biology in general, it's really cool and interesting.

I believe the reason you dislike morphs is because you do not understand them. Everyone does this, it's not your fault. People breed all the time, so much so that there are trillions of us. Why should we hate on snakes mating through selective breeding? I mean, people do the same, we select a fit mate and roll with it.

[smd58]

i dont belive the hobby would be as big as it is with out the morphs,