Sorry dude, I can't tell you what causes the trait, or the physiology behind its expression. My best guess is that nobody else can either. I could be wrong and all, but there is not very much actual research being conducted on Ball Pythons.



Most of us, from the casual hobbyist to the bigtime breeder, observe our animals carefully, and somewhat scientifically. However, without any actual scientific study being devoted to our lovely little gems, we cannot know the physiological reason for the expression of ANY morphs; aside from basic albinism, none of the morph traits is actually fully understood in that way. There are a lot of good guesses out there though (which I do tend to agree with - all this observation IS useful!).



My own personal theory on Pastel inheritance is that the trait probably involves a whole lot of linked genes that enhance one another, not just one gene. This would account for the continuous range from "high-grade" to "low-grade" Pastels, where the extremes of each often barely resemble one another.



Happy hunting.



~Rebecca
-----
0.1 Dumeril's Boa '04 (Courtney)

0.2 American Pit Bull Terriers (40lb darling lap dogs:Brandy&Mara)

1.2 Ball Pythons

[1.0 '05 Orange Hypo (Specter)]

[0.1 '05 Het Hypo (Sylvia)]

[0.1 '03 Normal (Sue)]

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