There are many variations to ball pythons...normals are typically considered 'common' versions of a ball python found naturally in the wild. But many co-dom and dominant traits (ie spiders, pins, fires, mojaves) are also found in animals in the wild...as adults, not just babies. Technically they could be wild types...though some do produce extremely unusual offspring when bred together.

It is possible many ball python 'normal' irregularities are 'phases' maybe by locale or just different versions. Corn snakes have three phases or locales... typical corn snake, Miami, Okeetee. If you breed them together, you get a mix of traits..but will still generally look like a typical corn..and for the most part corn snakes don't have co-doms, just recessive morphs, both pattern and color.

Technically all versions of an animal are 'genetic' in nature. To my knowledge, nobody has really done selective breeding to emphases traits that are not typically recessive etc. (ie bred for more yellow saddles, or browner background) within the normal range...

Whether black backs can be considered normals...maybe...but if they are indications of carrying the red axanthic trait, it could be a visible 'het' like a yellow belly. But I am sure some normals have a sold black back, just because ball python patterns are all different. Its hard to find two identical animals in the world, pattern wise.
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PHLdyPayne

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