Reptile & Amphibian Forums

what are the chances of getting a BEL?
what is the normal outcome of this pairing?

should be

50% mojave
25% BEL
25% normal

i think..
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Jeff Stringer

Thats correct.....good luck

Thanks Andy
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White snake with blue eyes.
Link

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Now I should have known that...Duh..

Thanks!!!
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I personally feel that the chances of getting a BEL (Blue-eyed Lucy) from a MojaveXMojave is zero. Even if you end up with a super mojave, a super mojave is SO FAR from what a lucy is that it, in good conscience, cannot be called a lucy. A lucy is a white snake. A super mojave is a grey snake with some white on it. Not even comparable. Certainly NOT a lucy in any stretch of the imagination.
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www.strictlyballs.ca

Straight from the encyclopedia.

Leucism is a condition characterized by reduced pigmentation in animals. Unlike albinism, it is caused by a reduction in all types of skin pigment, not just melanin.
Leucism is a general term for the phenotype resulting from defects in pigment cell differentiation and/or migration from the neural crest to skin, hair or feathers during development. This results in either the entire surface (if all pigment cells fail to develop) or patches of body surface (if only a subset are defective) having a lack of cells capable of making pigment.

Since all pigment cell-types differentiate from the same multipotent precursor cell-type, leucism can cause the reduction in all types of pigment. This is in contrast to albinism, for which leucism is often mistaken. Albinism results in the reduction of melanin production only, though the melanocyte (or melanophore) is still present. Thus in species that have other pigment cell-types, for example xanthophores, albinos are not entirely white, but instead display a pale yellow colour.

More common than a complete absence of pigment cells is localized or incomplete hypopigmentation, resulting in irregular patches of white on an animal that otherwise has normal colouring and patterning. This partial leucism is known as a "pied" or "piebald" effect; and the ratio of white to normal-coloured skin can vary considerably not only between generations, but between different offspring from the same parents, and even between members of the same litter. This is notable in horses, the urban crow and the ball python but is also found in many other species. In contrast, albinism always affects the entire animal.

A further difference between albinism and leucism is in eye colour. Due to the lack of melanin production in both the retinal pigmented epithelium (RPE) and iris, albinos typically have red eyes due to the underlying blood vessels showing through. In contrast, leucistic animals have normally coloured eyes. This is because the melanocytes of the RPE are not derived from the neural crest, instead an outpouching of the neural tube generates the optic cup which, in turn, forms the retina. As these cells are from an independent developmental origin, they are typically unaffected by the genetic cause of leucism.

You put a lucy produced from a lesserXlesser pairing or a lucy from a lesserXmojave pairing beside a super mojave, and you'll understand EXACTLY what I mean, and you won't need the Encyclopedia Britannica to explain it.
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www.strictlyballs.ca

lesser x lesser = lucy
platty x lesser = lucy
platty x mojo = lucy
mojo x lesser = lucy
YB x YB = lucy
lesser x pied = lucy
pied x pied = partial lucy (pied)
phanton x lesser = lucy
super phantom x lesser = lucy
phantom x phantom = lucy

please post any that i have missed!

I posted the meaning of leucism because it is what it is just because you don't agree is not my fault. Take it up with the genetic people. Pieds are a form of leucism with random patches of white. STILL leucism. Super Mojave Faint pattern STILL leucism.

so, which one produces that just perfect looking white snake with blue eyes? or is that just a luck of the draw type thing? i have googled this just so you know and it produces little if any answers.