Leopard geckos are an incredibly popular pet lizard and come in a myriad of amazing patterns and colors. If you’re familiar with reptiles, then you may have heard the term leopard gecko morphs. Morphs refer to specific kinds of leopard geckos with unique color and pattern variations. These morphs are often fashioned into something almost completely unrecognizable from the original breed. Let’s dive into some of the most common morphs you may find in leopard geckos.
Wild Type & Giant
A normal, wild-type, or natural leopard gecko is the original look that the species has in the wild, not containing any sort of interbreeding or crossbreeding. Normal leos still contain the characteristic dark brown to black spots despite having variations of yellow, brown, and grey coloration.
Leopard geckos with a Giant mutation are self-explanatory, as they are usually bigger than the average leopard. The Giant mutation first occurred as a random mutation in Ron Tremper’s hatchery in 1999. There’s another mutation that’s even larger than the Giant mutation, called Super Giant.
Jungle & Stripe
The Jungle mutation describes that of a wild pattern. A typical mutation will consist of regular dots and bands. However, a Jungle leo will contain broken or incomplete bands, giving off almost a psychedelic-looking pattern.
The Stripe morph will usually contain longitudinal stripes rather than the usual side-to-side lateral stripes. These stripes will normally begin at the neck and run down to the tail.
High Yellow & Albino
As you may have guessed from the name alone, a leo with a High Yellow mutation means that it contains yellow coloration that is much more pigmented than usual. The High Yellow mutation will still contain dark spots, although much fewer of them.
The Albino mutation is quite common in the animal kingdom as a whole. However, due to their visibility to predators living in the wild, they rarely live long enough to carry on the albinism genes. Should the genes be carried on at all, it usually happens by way of a breeder breeding leos in captivity. This usually results in stunning results of little to no melanin at all.
R.A.P.T.O.R. & Hypo-Albino
The RAPTOR morph is one of the most common of the Tremper Albino variety. It stands for Red-eye Albino Patternless Tremper Orange, which gives way to its coloration and pattern right away— they are Tremper albino, patternless, orange, and have red eyes.
A Hybino morph (or Hypo-Albino) is what you get when you mix Hypo morphs with Albino morphs. It’s a combo of a Super Hypo and any of the three Albino strains, typically embodying an all-yellow body and albino-like eyes.
Sunglow & Tangerine
Sunglow leos are a Hybino subtype that is typically bred from a Super Hypo and Temper Albino. They have a bright yellow or orange body color along with Tremper albino pale-silverish-reddish eyes.
The Tangerine morph usually consists of a strong orange color, as you could likely tell by the name alone. Patterns, however, can vary quite a bit, containing various orange patches, brown spots, and unique tail patterns.
Carrot Tail & Halloween Mask
Similar to the Tangerine morph, the only defining characteristic of the Carrot Tail morph is a distinct orange coloration, specifically at its tail. At least 15 percent of the leo’s tail must be colored orange in order to be considered a Carrot Tail.
Halloween Mask – definitely one of the coolest names I’ve come across for a leopard gecko morph, the name itself was inspired by the unusual patterns on the head of the leo. These patterns then go on to change and evolve as the leo matures. These colors consist of white or yellow with white-based tails and irregular, dark markings throughout the body. It is also said that high-quality Halloween Masks can even change their color depending on mood, temperature, and other environmental factors.
Blizzard & Murphy Patternless
Blizzard leos are usually patternless with just one solid color. It can be completely white, or have a yellow or purple overtone. However, if they identify as a Midnight Blizzard, these colors can turn darker.
Murphy Patternless is very similar to the Blizzard in that they are both—you guessed it—patternless. As adults, it’s often difficult to tell the two morphs apart. Despite looking pretty similar, the genetic makeup of the two morphs is extremely different.
Diablo Blanco & Black Night
The Diablo Blanco, also known as the “White Devil” morph, is a combo of RAPTOR and Blizzard. They are patternless, accompanied by solid white to pinkish-white, and have notable red eyes.
The Black Night morph was the first true melanistic morph to appear, meaning that their skin has a higher-than-average concentration of melanin. They typically have a very dark coloring that appears almost black with white bellies.
Enigma
The Enigma morph is one of the more controversial ones. They contain a nearly completely white tail and a faded speckled pattern on the back. What makes the Enigma so controversial is that it has become the one morph known for developing a health issue known as Enigma Syndrome.
Enigma Syndrome neurologic condition that usually occurs in Enigmas and their crossings, triggered by stress and irritation. However, sometimes it can develop without any triggers at all. This syndrome can cause Enigma leos to daze with their head tilting backward uncontrollably, spinning in circles, and doing “death rolls.” In serious cases, they can also have seizures. Enigmas usually need to be kept in a basic and non-stimulative setup to avoid triggers.
No matter what leopard gecko morph you decide to bring home, you can be sure that your reptilian counterpart will help light up your space with its unique colors and patterns.
