BP Pigmentation?

[Mendel's Balls]

Does anyone know anything about the pigmentation of ball pythons? They have melanin similiar to us which makes their skin have brown/black in it......but what's responsible for all those other colors?

[Adam_Wysocki]

If you're really interested, you'll probably want to pick up a copy of ...

Reptile and Amphibian Variants: Colors, Patterns, and Scales by H. Bernard Bechtel

I could try to start quoting from memory, but I'd probably not get it 100% correct and most likely miss some a lot.

Hope this helps.

-adam

[Mendel's Balls]

Thanks for the reference. The books a little pricy for me now but I fill it away under references worth getting latter.

Mike

[Mendel's Balls]

I found our that erythrin is resonsible for red/orange pigmentation and xanthin imparts yellow pigmentation. There might be others though....

[Adam_Wysocki]

I found our that erythrin is resonsible for red/orange pigmentation and xanthin. There might be others though....

There's an entire chapter in the book that details the chromatophores and melanophores that make up the pigments in reptiles and amphibians. Really worth checking out.

-adam

[Mendel's Balls]

Adam,

Found the book through my public library and requested it. Thanks again....Does anyone know what an aerythristic morph (those lacking erythin) is called in BPs?

Mike

[elevatethis]

Did you mean aNerythristic?

http://ralphdavisreptiles.com/collec...all_python.asp