Quote Originally Posted by paulh View Post
Make enough spider to spider matings to produce 25 or more spider babies. Raise all of them to maturity and mate them to normal ball pythons. If one of those spider to normal matings produces 10 or more spider babies and no normal babies, then the spider is classed as having a pair of spider genes. If any normal babies occur, then the spider parent has a spider gene paired with a normal gene.

If each of the spider parents in the above matings has a spider gene paired with a normal gene, then the odds are over 99% that two spider genes is lethal.

I'd also like to see the numbers of normal babies and spider babies from about 50 clutches of eggs. The expectation is 50/50 spider and normal. But even one spider gene might be disadvantageous. That would produce a skewed ratio.


Does spider x spider mean a mating of spider to spider, or does it mean a ball python with two spider genes?
The logic here isn't quite right. Bear in mind that people have tried to prove out a homozygous pinstripe for about as long as spider, and such a snake simply doesn't exist. Obviously no one here is debating over genes like pinstripe or calico being fatal in double doses, so it's fair to assume lack of super does not equate to lethal genetics.