From the American Heritage Dictionary that's sitting on my desk ...

par·a·dox (păr'-dŏks') n.

1. A seemingly contradictory statement that may nonetheless be true: the paradox that standing is more tiring than walking.

2. One exhibiting inexplicable or contradictory aspects: “The silence of midnight, to speak truly, though apparently a paradox, rung in my ears” (Mary Shelley).

3. An assertion that is essentially self-contradictory, though based on a valid deduction from acceptable premises.

4. A statement contrary to received opinion.

The term is used in ball pythons when a mutation is born with a characteristic that seems contrary to the expected appearance of the mutation ... An amel albino with black pigment ... an ivory with yellow belly patterning randomly splashed around the body ... etc.

Very little is known genetically speaking about paradox's in ball pythons, but as more and more mutations are being produced more and more examples of paradoxs are appearing in captive collections ... it will take some time, but I'm sure an explanation will be worked out eventually.

-adam