Hypers & Hypos *pic heavy*

Since we all love to ID the morphs and also because its a confusing subject, here is a brief explanation of the Hypers and Hypos.



Melanin is the dark pigment found in the skin of people and animals. People of white race do not have as much melanin in their skin as people of black race. So, in the leopard gecko morph world, a Melanistic leopard gecko would be all black but the closest there is to this, are the Black Velvets (see pic below) and Black Pearls (still in development).



https://servimg.com/view/16485652/10

Black Velvet



Then there is the Hyper Melanistic leopard gecko which means that they have an excess or abundance of melanin ie. dark spots and overall dark colour.



https://servimg.com/view/16485652/12

Hyper Melanistic



Then there is the Hypo Melanistic or just Hypo for short which means that the gecko has a reduced amount of melanin or black spotting. To be considered a Hypo, the gecko must have 10 or fewer spots on the body, excluding the head and tail. Otherwise, it would be considered a High Yellow



https://servimg.com/view/16485652/13

Hypo Melanistic



https://servimg.com/view/16485652/14

High Yellow



Lastly, there is the Super Hypo leopard gecko which means that it has a yellow body with no black spotting on the body at all.


https://servimg.com/view/16485652/22

Super Hypo



All of these traits are regarded as polygenic or line-bred so they usually can't be seen until the gecko nears maturity. Babies that exhibit spots or bands upon hatching will eventually lose these markings if they are Hypos or Super Hypos.



I hope this explains the Hyper, Hypo and Super Hypo morphs a little better. I kept it as basic as possible because that way its easier to understand. As soon as someone starts rattling off scientific or medical terms, my mind has a meltdown.

This looks like a lovely guide I'm sure Jordan can give you some feedback as he is so good with morphs and I am still learning

Thankyou very much
Someone should move this to the caresheets.. I know it's not a care sheet, but it's an information sheet. Maybe make it a sticky in the morph and genetics section

Since you ladies are experts with pictures, please tell me how I get my pictures to show in the body of my post.

I am not able to put the pictures in properly because I need the originals. Here is a link to directions to post them in the body:

http://www.leopardgeckoforum.com/t338-adding-an-image-to-your-post


*Your super hypo and high yellow are the same pictures*

Thanks Jolene, I just noticed that. Don't know why that happened. Am I able to edit the post and change the picture?

Ok done! I am learning something new every day.

next to the quote button there should be a edit button at the to of your post for you to edit it