Sex makes it a difference if the genes that contribute to the trait are found on a sex chromosome. We call such traits sex-linked traits. There are a lot these in mammals such as ourselves. Color Blindness is an example of a sex-linked trait.Originally Posted by JLC
I had a similiar question months ago.....here's the link to that thread....http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...=Determination
There are no known (or publicly known) sex-linked traits in ball pythons.
Interestingly if a sex-linked recessive trait did exist in ball pythons then you'd see it pop up more in females because they are the heterogametic sex in reptiles/birds (the opposite occurs in mammals with the XX/XY system.)
From the scientific papers I've read the reason why there might be few, if any, sex linked traits is that in the primitive boids (group of snakes including pythons/boas) the Z and W chromosomes dont differ that much in size (and/or composition?)
Reptiles are probably one of the least studied taxa of vetebrates by the mainstream scientific community. There is some research involving or looking at reptiles but not that much. Some lab scientists use them in model organisms to study the physiological regulation of apetite. (Jared Diamond of Guns, germ, and Steel fame is involved in this). There's talk at using them in aging research. Ecologists and Evolutionary Biologists have even traditionally ignored them...though to a lesser degree.
Howver, Heptocultural Hobbyists (amateur scientists) have found a lot though.
If this project got off the ground we'd know more genetically speaking about reptiles as a whole....http://www.reptilegenome.com/.