A Leopard gecko is one of the lizard species and is native to rocky deserts and arid grasslands of Asia—Afghanistan, Pakistan, northern India, Iran, and western Iraq. Leopard geckos are one of the most easy-going and thus the most popular pet geckos.
Leopard geckos are rapidly gaining popularity as pets, especially among fans of exotic pets. But there is not just one type of Leopard gecko. The more the popularity, the more the diversity in its colors. At present, there are over 100—according to some resources, well over 150—different morphs of Leopard geckos present across the world.
What Are Leopard Gecko Morphs?
Leopard gecko morph is the product of selective breeding of Leopard geckos by professional reptile breeders. Due to selective breeding, Leopard geckos are produced with various color combinations and patterns. While some morphs are developed by random genetic mutations, most are a result of dedicated selective breeding of Leopard geckos. It may take breeders years to produce targeted colors, sizes, and patterns.
Going further into the article, we are going to discuss some of the most eye-catching Leopard gecko morphs.
Types of Leopard Gecko Morphs
Naturally, Leopard geckos come only in yellow color, with dark brown to black spots. But their morphs are increasing with every passing year. Today more than a hundred Leopard gecko morphs exist, and many are coming to the fore with passing time, thanks to the enthusiastic Leopard gecko breeders across the world—the possibilities for more are nearly limitless.
Here is a list of 20 Leopard geckos—a treat for the eyes of a beholder.
Albino Leopard Gecko
Leopard geckos have albinism that differs from albinism seen in other species. The absence of the enzyme tyrosinase causes albinism, which stops the animal from generating melanin. Leopard geckos that are albino create extremely little melanin and do not have this enzyme deficit. The so-called Albino Leopard geckos are usually light-colored.
Blizzard Leopard Gecko
This Leopard gecko has no patterns at all. Blizzards come in a variety of colors, including entirely white, yellow, and even purple, with the darker colors being referred to as Midnight Blizzards. Blizzards are one of three morphs that feature entirely black or eclipsed eyes.
Black Night Leopard Gecko
This is one of the most uncommon morphs found in captivity. They are solid black in color and possess white bellies, although many of them are completely black. They differ from Black Pearls in that they have a warm, brown tinge rather than the blue-black color of Black Pearls. They are placid and relaxed lizards, like other Geckos. Since Black Night geckos are rare, their cost is consequently high.
High Yellow Leopard Gecko
High Yellow Leopard geckos are widely considered as the standard Leopard geckos. They have bright yellow skin and dark brown to black spots. While some have more spots, others have fewer. That said, high yellow geckos are quite popular and widely sought after and thus are quite expensive.
Hypo Melanistic Leopard Gecko
A Leopard gecko must have ten or fewer spots on its body to be classified as a hypo melanistic Leopard gecko. A Leopard gecko is classified as a Super Hypo if it has no spots on its body at all.
Rainwater Albino Leopard Gecko
Rainwaters Leopard geckos, also known as Las Vegas Geckos, are smaller and have a lighter color than other albino variants. They have yellow bodies with pink bands when they are hatchlings. Rainwater morphs also have darker eyes than the other albinos.
Lavender Leopard Gecko
The basic color of Lavender Leopard geckos is lavender or light purple. They can also be seen as lavender patches or stripes. It frequently occurs in conjunction with other patterns, such as stripes or dots. When adopting this morph, keep in mind that some of them lose their color as they age. This is a difficult shade to generate, and it normally only appears in second or third-generation morphs.
Lemon Frost Leopard Gecko
First bred by Gourmet Rodent in 2012, Lemon Frost is a novel morph that is presently being bred in captivity. These Leopard geckos have a sunny base hue that has been deepened and brightened. Their eyes are also whitened and are occasionally vivid blue in color.
Hyper Melanistic Leopard Gecko
A Leopard gecko that is darkly pigmented but not black is known as a Hyper Melanistic. More melanin is present in this morph than in the lighter pigmented morphs. It will still have spots and patterns, but its coloration will be much darker than that of regular or wild types.
Ghost Leopard Gecko
Ghost is a genetic abnormality that causes faded hues or even shades of green. Although Ghost Leopard geckos resemble Hypo Leopard geckos in appearance, they are a distinct morph. The brilliant oranges and yellows seen in hypo animals will never appear in Ghost Leopard geckos.
Giant Leopard Gecko
Giant Leopard geckos are the product of an incomplete dominant genetic mutation that causes them to grow significantly larger than normal Leopard geckos. Adult gigantic geckos can reach lengths of over 10 inches, and super large geckos can grow even bigger. Large Leopard geckos with random spots and bands make up the Jungle Giant bloodline.
Marble Eye Leopard Gecko
Marble Eye is a recessive genetic morph that affects eye color. A marble eye, unlike an eclipse, does not appear to change the color or pattern of the body. It also doesn’t modify the color of the eyes’ background. They have a marbled appearance rather than being white or transparent.
Baldy Leopard Gecko
This is a Super Hypo that doesn’t have any spotting on its head. Other forms of morphs exist as well, and while the combinations appear limitless, some breeders have it down to a science and are continually developing new morphs. Prices may vary depending on how difficult it is to make each morph, but some of the rarer morphs will set you back a few hundred dollars.
Hypo-Albino Leopard Gecko
Combining a Super Hypo with any of the albino strains produces Hybinos or Hypo-Albino Leopard Geckos. They are often solid yellow or orange-yellow in hue, with albino-like eyes. Some breeders use the term “Sunglow morphs” to describe hypo-albino leopard gecko morphs.
Blazing Banana Blizzard Leopard Gecko
Breeders are still working on the Blazing Banana Blizzard, which combines Blizzard, Patternless, and Albino characteristics. Their eyes should resemble the eyes of Albino from which they were bred, and the body should have Patternless morph characteristics.
Banana Blizzard Leopard Gecko
Banana Blizzard morphs are sometimes sold as bright yellow Blizzard morphs. A true Banana Blizzard, on the other hand, is a yellow-colored Patternless.
Mack Snow Leopard Gecko
Mack Snow Leopard geckos have a lighter color with black lines. As hatchlings, they are normally white, but as they grow older, they develop some light color.
Tremper albino Leopard Gecko
Tremper Albinos were one of the earliest discovered Leopard gecko strains. They usually have silver eyes with noticeable red veins. As far as their skin color is concerned, they come in a wide range of colors, with brown, yellow, pink, or orange being the most common.
Bold Stripe Leopard Gecko
Bold Stripe Leopard geckos have stripes and patterns traveling down the sides of their bodies rather than across the body or on the back. Because of its unique pattern, it is one of the most popular Leopard gecko morphs.
Raining Red Stripe Leopard Gecko
Rainwater Albinos are crossed with Red Stripe and Bold Stripe types to produce the Raining Red Stripe morph. These variants resemble Rainwater Albinos, except that they feature red stripes. Raining Red Stripes, like their other striped relatives, can be quite expensive.
Other Leopard Gecko Morphs
In addition to the above-discussed Leopard gecko morphs, there are many other—around 100 different Leopard gecko morphs. According to some resources, the Leopard gecko morphs are well over 150. It is nearly impossible to describe all Leopard gecko morphs. Below we have listed some other Leopard gecko morphs available today.
|Firewater||Dreamsicle||Enigma||Godzilla Super Giant|
|High Yellow||Ember||Nova||Diablo Blanco|
|Raptor||Red Stripe||Carrot Tail||Super Giant|
|Phantom||Bell albino||Aptor||Halloween Mask|
|Tangerine||Snake eyes||Reverse Stripe||Inferno|