I have been going for dark, and picked this girl up for a sweet price but she was bought as a normal, she stays this way of course what do you think?
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Is this female a hyper-melanistic
skmcwilliams
Apr 21, 2004 05:29 PM
Replies (24)
iasonn
Apr 21, 2004 05:46 PM
I'd think so. I have seen darker, but not many. I think its a good place to start to line breed darker. I don't have any hyper-mel's but I would have bought that one!
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lilroach56
Apr 21, 2004 05:59 PM
than leo looks like a morph called spotted. Spotteds are commonly found in the blizzard line. A hyper-melanistic is an ALL black leo. yours just has lots of more spots than normal leos. A true hyper-melanistic has no spots and is all black.
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CoolGecko
Apr 21, 2004 06:08 PM
it is Hyper-mesltic. IT is not speckled (spotted) and the speckled are alot smaller spots than that. It is meant to be darker than normal so it is and not always all black becuase it is slective bred and the chance are slim like snow.
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Preston Berry
www.freewebs.com/coolgeckoUnder Construction
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lilroach56
Apr 21, 2004 06:45 PM
as you can obviously see it is the spots giving it its dark color. The base tone ranges from a brown to a brown-tan. Can you give me some pics of the speckled you have seen? because that one looks exactly like some of the ones ive seen. if you selectively bred leos that look like the one above i doubt it would ever get to a hyper-melanistic because it is just the spots giving it is dark color.
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ChrisNM
Apr 21, 2004 06:45 PM
biologically speaking...
Yes, that gecko could and should be called hyper-melanistic. Hyper-meaning increased, melanistic-meaning melanin.
One (usually a recessive trait) genetic extreme trait would be a solid black animal which would fullfil the term melanistic.
A reverse example of this would be the tangerine lineage leos. Most are derived from a form of hypo-melanistic animals. Hypo-meaning less.
The opposite extreme of melanistic would be amelanistic, where the prefix A = to lack or lacking, which in this case would be lacking melanin, aka albinism.
Chris
lilroach56
Apr 21, 2004 06:54 PM
he/she was talking about the morph hyper-melanistic which the morph meaning is an all black animal. Also the term hypo-melanistic has been improperly termed in leopard gecko morphs also. It means that a leo has 10 or fewer spots. If you were to take the literal definition of hypo-melanistic, almost any animal with a little lighter color or less spots would be called hypo.
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ROI3IN
Apr 21, 2004 07:00 PM
original hypo were only "less black" they have been selective bred to be what they are now.. and the defination keeps constantly chnaging.... i personally can tell a true high yellow from a low grade hypo... its about the LACK of melanin, you dont see many "true" high yellows just low grade hypo comparatively
i wish some of the guys that been here long time would post pics of the original hypos and tangs... you would be wuite suprised
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-robin struck
R2 Reptiles
ChrisNM
Apr 21, 2004 07:10 PM
spotting has nothing to do with it other than just a mere reduction.
mexican black kingsnake, melanistic phase thayeri, melanistic eastern hognose, melanistic cal kings, etc...are all genetic recessives (except the mexican black king) of melanistic animals.
I will restate. The term hyper means to increase. Hypertension, hypermelanism, hypertonic solution, etc, etc, etc. When you're in the shower too long your skin cells swell and cause you to look wrinkled. This is the result of a hypertonic solution of water in your skin cells.
More examples of terms with hyper or hypo as their prefix.
Hyperextension - To extend so that the angle between bones of a joint is greater than normal.
Hyper - Means above or excessive. For example, hypertension is extremely high blood pressure
Hypo - Means below or deficient. For example, hypothermia is a subnormal body temperature.
www.bd.com/elastics/glossary/]http://www.bd.com/elastics/glossary/
Hypo
Hypoglycaemia, hypoglycaemic. Low blood sugar
Hyper
Hyperglycaemia, hyperglycaemic. High blood sugar
www.insulin-pumpers.org.uk/glossary/]http://www.insulin-pumpers.org.uk/glossary/
www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&oi=defmore&q=define:Hyper]Google search for Hyper
www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&oi=defmore&q=define:Hypo]Google search for hypo
Chris
ChrisNM
Apr 21, 2004 07:12 PM
lilroach56
Apr 21, 2004 07:46 PM
i know hyper means to increase. Did you read my post? like i said, the morph hyper-melanistic means an ALL black gecko. And like i said if you actually really look at the animal, you will notice that the base color ranges from brown to a brownish-tan. Which is not what i would consider a hyper-melanistic morph. you could consider it a hyper-melanistic IF you considered a hypo an animal with few spots yet a normal base color, but if you dont you cant. Because that animal is just a normal with unusually high spotting. The term Hypo and Hyper have been improperly termed with everything. Because it is not solid, hypo just means less and hyper means more. How much less? how much more? if you consider a hyper-melanistic a leo with slightly darker than average coloring and higher spotting then yes it can be called a hyper-melanstic. BUT if you consider a hyper-melanistic an all black gecko like the one HERE
then it is not a hyper-melanistic. Hyper-melanistic and hypo-melanistic are OPINIONS, which is why there needs to be somehow a given definition of a morph.
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ROI3IN
Apr 21, 2004 08:19 PM
a melanistic
a htper melanistic would be a darker than normal leo... meaning more darker pigmentation as the phenotype, a normal. not nessecasrily black pigmentation more pigmentation (darker) and if selectively bred *could* (very losely) produce an all black leo which in turn would be called melanistic. unless some sort of new genetic mutation comes out like a melanistic thats simple recessive or dominant or co dominant or soemthing but i dont seer that happeneing anytime soon unless of course its a freak occurance from captive breedings
listen to chris... he has been around FIOR YEARS away longer than you have been coming here
he has been breeding leos prolly since you were in grade school and also has a vast knowledge of genetics, including leopard genietics.............don't argue take it what its worth because honestly this is making YOU look follish and utterly annoying the heck out of me.... whats why i try not to post anymore (not you) just the whole i know it all, imaturaty factor blah ima go back to the other site now
chris come on let him think what he wants personally no biggie to me he wont listen
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-robin struck
R2 Reptiles
Josh06
Apr 21, 2004 08:36 PM
I'm pretty sure lilroach said he was 12 or 13 a while back, so he still is in grade school....lol...you probably thought i was gonna try to correct you on your genetics, didn't you...lol.
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Josh
My Email
ROI3IN
Apr 21, 2004 08:47 PM
josh you little stink pickle
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-robin struck
R2 Reptiles
Josh06
Apr 22, 2004 02:22 PM
....
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Josh
My Email
lilroach56
Apr 22, 2004 05:43 AM
How is an all black leo called a melanistic leo? if a hypo-melanistic has less and a hyper-melanistic has more, then a melanistic would be a normal. because when using hypo and hyper as a prefix to melanistic aren't you comparing it to a melanistic specimen? this is why people need to come up with given definition of a morph. All this stuff is confusing me.
p.s
i am still in 7th grade
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magick-bears
Apr 22, 2004 08:08 AM
The prefixes are not comparing they are defining. Geneticly an all black loe would be a melanistic meaning (this has been majorly simpilfied) that the only color defining chemical produced is melanin (sorry for the spelling have been up all night). In the case of a Hypo-melanistic the melanin is reduced and in the case of a Hyper-melanistic it is increased but not the only factor.
I hope that made sence.
Jeff
ChrisNM
Apr 22, 2004 09:10 AM
lilroach, I'm getting ready to go to work right now. I'll be getting off at 3 pm mountain time. I think I have a way of possibly explaining this a tad easier for you, but don't have the time to type out such a long reply right now. I'll post it as a new thread when I get home.
Chris
powergeckos
Apr 21, 2004 08:45 PM
Sorry bud, but you're wrong on this one. I was corrected about 5 years ago on the difference between hypermel and mel. Most of the stuff that's coming out are hyper-mels. We are working toward a mel - a nice velvety all black leopard geckos
You do have a lot of spunk and that's good!!
Take care.
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Monte Meyer
Powergeckos
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magick-bears
Apr 21, 2004 09:36 PM
By putting in that link you have actually contradicted yourself. If you enlarge the pic you will see that the the pictured leopard gecko has a tan base color and exagerated (very large) black spotting. Hence hypo=more or exagerated black.
Just my $0.02
Jeff
magick-bears
Apr 21, 2004 09:42 PM
sorry should have been Hyper=more or exagerated black
Jeff
StinaUIUC
Apr 21, 2004 10:42 PM
I have to agree with everyone else...a hypermelanistic simply has more black than normal...not all black. More and bigger black spots means more black than normal and is therefore hypermelanistic.
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Christina
Leopard Gecko Morph Descriptions
2.3 leos
-0.1 tangerine het rainwater albino w/jungle background (Blinkers)
-0.2 jungles (Vahz & Skissor)
-1.0 tremper albino (Spitfire)
-1.0 tangerine rainwater albino (Bronx)
-ignorance is not to be punished when one is trying to gain knowledge...what scares me is the vast number of people who, when given the information to gain knowledge, choose to ignore it.
powergeckos
Apr 21, 2004 08:40 PM
Nice looking animal. It be nice to see her when she's all filled out. I had one exactly like that - that yellowed up underneath after it became gravid. But it still produced darker babies.
In the truest sense of the word - that is hyper-melanistic.
Here's a pix of one of mine . . . .
Take care
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Monte Meyer
Powergeckos
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Jbuggs20
Apr 22, 2004 05:46 AM
I dont think its a hyper melanistic.. I have seen geckos like this it definitly has a spotted pattern but I think its just a dark specimen. How the gecko was tooken care of can take a big toll on its color and appearance. Some guy I know had a colony of 1.4 on his back porch which we live in florida so it stays pretty warm.. All the geckos were nice looking hi yellows and after 5-6 months they all look exactly if not similar to the animal you have...
Jason
StinaUIUC
Apr 22, 2004 10:39 AM
"I think its just a dark specimen"
you basically just defined hypermelanism...all it is is a darker than normal animal
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Christina
Leopard Gecko Morph Descriptions
2.3 leos
-0.1 tangerine het rainwater albino w/jungle background (Blinkers)
-0.2 jungles (Vahz & Skissor)
-1.0 tremper albino (Spitfire)
-1.0 tangerine rainwater albino (Bronx)
-ignorance is not to be punished when one is trying to gain knowledge...what scares me is the vast number of people who, when given the information to gain knowledge, choose to ignore it.
