Paradox Marks?

[TEX777]

Hello everyone,

I have been watching ALOT of YouTube videos lately about snakes and snake room tours and stuff like that. But there is something that I keep encountering, paradox marks. What are they? What do they mean? How can I tell what a paradox mark is? I'm wondering because my ball python has some marks on her body like the "paradox marks" from the snakes on the videos.

Thanks

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Tex777:

Welcome to the Tortoise Forum!!

What would you like us to call you?

And may we know appx. where in the world you are?

I'm not a snake person, I just wanted to welcome you. (I THINK paradox refers to unusual black markings)

 

[TEX777]

Thank you!!! I'm glad to be here. I was looking for a place like this that actually had an app for the iPhone. Then of course , I stumbled upon tortoise forum

P.S.
I live in Puerto Rico

 

[TEX777]

So does anyone have any information on these paradox marks?

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

Welcome!

 

[Floof]

Welcome to the forum!

"Paradox" generally refers to when a snake that has spots that are a completely different phenotype (genetic appearance, if that makes sense) than the snake's actual phenotype. For example, you can have Amelanistic/"Albino" (no black pigment) animals with splotches of black/"normal"/"wild-type" coloration, which is completely paradoxical to the fact that the animal otherwise seems to be expressing a gene that completely eliminates black pigment production.

Take this ball python for example (image courtesy of google):

This snake has both Albino splotches (the areas completely lacking ANY black pigment--yellow and white) and "normal" splotches (containing black pigment, showing the wild-type coloration of ball pythons, brown and black). This is a paradox animal. It is a paradox because, genetically speaking, it SHOULD only be expressing one or the other, not both.

Hopefully that explanation makes sense.

If you post pictures of your ball python and his/her "paradox"-looking spots, some of the other snake-savvy members of the forum and I may be able to shed some light on what's going on with the spots.

 

[TEX777]

Thank you very much for the explanation!!!

I am currently unable to take pictures because my dog broke my camera into a trillion pieces and my phones camera is all scratched. But like I said, thank you very much for the info!!!

P.S.
I think the ball python in the pic you posted is really beautiful

 

[TEX777]

It looks....exotic!

 

[Weda737]

It looks like someone spilled bleach on it lol

 

[Floof]

You're welcome! And I agree, paradox snakes are STUNNING. I'm not a ball python person, but that's one ball I would definitely consider owning...

 

[reticguy76]

A little old, but paradox is not genetic nor a morph. It is just a freak thing that happens to some snakes (as with the calico trait in most species, ball python calico has been proven though)

---

That ball python above is a calico/pastel/albino (if i remember correctly)

 

[EricIvins]

A little old, but paradox is not genetic nor a morph. It is just a freak thing that happens to some snakes (as with the calico trait in most species, ball python calico has been proven though)

---

That ball python above is a calico/pastel/albino (if i remember correctly)

---

No that is not correct - The animal pictured is a Paradox Albino, nothing more, nothing less........I beleive Eric Sandoval produced it, and it has been one of the more extreme versions.......

The Paradox trait has been proven in Sand Boas, Boa Constictors, and a few others........Paradox projects are being worked on in alot of different species now - From Bearded Dragons to Green Iguanas.......

 

[TEX777]

Thanks guys!

 

[reticguy76]

I should have elaborated more, I fully agree that its a proven trait in some species, but as far as I understand its not its own morph or gene, its a trait that has been implemented and attatched to other genes/morphs from line breeding.