Morphs...huh. I think in general we are breeding for color and pattern and on occasion for size. Other than that we are not (intentionally) breeding for any other characteristic. Let's face it there isn't much else to breed for in snakes.



Dogs are a different issue I think because we have not only bred them for color and size; we've also identified specific behavioral traits to breed for. For example some are good for hunting, some for protection, others are simply good companions. At the end of the day we have done much more with the mammal species on this planet through selective breeding than we have with anything else (plants excluded).



Now, taking this into consideration (we are only breeding for primarily 3 traits: color, pattern and size), it could be said that people do the same thing every day with our own species (to an extent).



I'll use myself as an example; I like brunettes, with a medium to dark complexion, and a medium build. Naturally, my girlfriend has all of these attributes (and more she's incredibly intelligent and one of the kindest people I've ever met...but those traits are psychological and this discussion is based on physical traits). Someone else has a different idea of what they find physically attractive. When breeding snakes we are looking for traits that appeal to us and seeing if any of them can be isolated and passed on to future generations.



If I want to pass on traits I find appealing to my descendents I will have to find a mate that will make it possible. Same with snakes.





BTW, just so I don't get bombarded about this: I DO feel there is more to a relationship than the physical side of it. But, (I'll say it again) this is a discussion about physical traits not psychological ones (nature vs. nurture). I was just attempting to show this argument from another point of view.
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It's actually not that I love or even like snakes. I just hate rodents.

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