Quick question, is getting a BEL really as simple as putting two Mojaves together?

[WingedWolfPsion]

Ball python genetics are truly awesome, and fascinating.

Here's what's happening.
If you were to breed a spider to a pastel, you would probably get some bumblebees. A bumblebee, unsurprisingly, looks like a pastel spider. It doesn't look like a super pastel. When you breed it, it can pass on both the spider and pastel gene, so it can produce more bumblebees.

However, some morph genes are on the same allele. That means (roughly, this isn't completely accurate) that they are different mutations of the SAME gene. Since they're mutations of the same gene, when you breed, say, a lesser to a mojave, if the offspring inherit the lesser gene AND the mojave gene, the same super form is produced as if you bred two of the same morph together (or nearly the same--differences have to do with which of the two genes is more dominant in that situation, most likely, and how they interact--the potion is definitely different-looking).

Because they're different mutations of the SAME gene, the snake can only pass on one copy of that gene--it will be the mutant copy 1 (lesser), or the mutant copy 2 (mojave). So, all offspring from it WILL DEFINITELY have either the lesser gene, or the mojave gene, but cannot have both.

The BEL complex includes Lesser Platinum/Butter (believed by many to be line bred versions of the same morph, rather than separate morphs), Mojave, Russo (aka het White Diamond), Mystic, Phantom (Mystic and Phantom may also be variations of the same morph--not sure on that one), and Mocha. (I think that's all of them).
Any of these morph genes paired with any other of these morph genes will produce the BEL. Which two are involved will dictate what the offspring will be. In other words, if you have a lesser X lesser BEL, all offspring of it will carry the lesser gene. If you have a Russo X Mocha BEL, they will all be either Russos or Mochas.

The BEL complex contains MANY morphs, but new morphs are being found in other complexes (such as black-eyed leucistic), as well.

Allelic genes have made the morph game SO much more fun.
My favorite recent discovery is that Candy and Toffee are part of the Albino complex.