The Snow leopard gecko is a new morph from the original leopard gecko that we have come to know about. Interestingly, more and more enthusiasts have taken interests and join the move to cultivate other varieties and produce new types. There have been several of these morphed geckos that are out there in the market. And they continue to produce and come up with more interesting and remarkable pieces. So, how did snow leopard gecko came to be? And aside from the snows, how are other morphs of gecko came about?
The history of leopard gecko reveals that during the animal trade in the 1700s, many exotic animals from Asia, Africa and other continents were shipped to the United States. Because there were no international rules and regulations on how these animals were imported and shipped, they were not segregated from each other. Such is the case that most of these animals inadvertently cross-bred resulting to the creation of new morphs. "Morphing" or "morph" is the act of breeding two different or the same breed of geckos in the hope of arriving at a new kind of breed. However, people have seen the opportunity over the idea of gecko morphing that through continuous trial and error, new breeds emerged in the market. These breeds do not only satisfy the visual hunger of gecko-lovers elsewhere. It has intensified interest on how to go about with morphing to get your desired gecko look.
Snow leopard geckos are one of the new morphs that have been introduced in the market today. The snows were line-bred low color geckos, wherein two low-color geckos were bred together. From their babies, the best low-colored babies were selected and so on until they reach a point where the skin achieved the color desired, which is white and black, while the eyes are also black. There will still be taint of yellow on various parts of the white skin. It was in 2004 when a breeder named John Mack made the first successful breed of the snows, thus the reptile gained popularity and had been known as Mack Snow.
The morph was a co-dominant trait. When you breed a white to a colored gecko, it is possible that the half of the offspring will be whites and the other half will be normal. The offspring from this breeding will carry one copy of the snow gene. Furthermore, when you breed two whites together, it is possible that they will have a Super Snow. These types are totally white and black (no yellow pigmentation) and their eyes are jet black. There are other types of morphing that are being done to further promote the different varieties of geckos. From the basic feature of normal geckos, breeders are slowly trying to outdo each other by creating new strands of these lizards for the market.
Snow leopard geckos are results of the evolution from the desert-loving nocturnal creatures from Southern Central Asia to the new and unique breeds of geckos that are being sold in the market today. In the natural world, evolution happens when an organism, trying to cope with the demands of his environment, transforms to something different from its original state. However, in this case, the deliberate morphing being done by breeders to geckos are not because of their inability to cope, but rather superficial and decorative. Regardless of the reason, the deliberate cross breeding to morph present varieties to how we'd like their products to be should be done carefully; elevating the physiology of the new breeds rather than making them suffer in the end.
Lily Green has been caring for Leopard Geckos for over 15 years. It is her passion to share her knowledge through her writing with other owners. If you wish to read additional Snow Leopard Gecko info or get a copy of her FREE 'Leopard Gecko Care' mini-course feel free to visit her site at Caring for Leopard Gecko
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