Brindle Crested Geckos
A Brindle is a tiger-type crested gecko whose dark bands break up into a marbled, jagged pattern instead of running as clean stripes. It comes from several pattern traits working together rather than one gene, so judge each animal on its own pattern, not the label.
About the Brindle gene
A crested gecko is called a Brindle when its tiger banding breaks up. The dark bands on the sides fracture into a marbled, sporadic pattern, and that uneven look is what the name sells. It describes a pattern made by several traits working together, so the animal in front of you matters more than the name on the listing.
Appearance
Tiger markings are clean, unbroken bands running across the body at right angles to the spine. On a Brindle those bands are uneven, jagged and broken, so they read as marbling or a scatter of dashes. The pattern sits over whatever the base colour is. You will also see Super Brindle and Extreme Brindle on sale. The strength of a brindle varies from gecko to gecko, and the line between a Brindle and a heavy tiger is often a judgement call.
Genetics
Brindle is not a single gene. It comes from tiger, which every crested gecko carries to some degree, interacting with other pattern traits in the animal, and the balance between them decides whether the result reads as tiger or Brindle. There is no het and no super in the genetic sense: Super Brindle and Extreme Brindle are listing names, and neither means a second dose of anything. Listings use two names, Brindle and Pos Brindle. The term itself has moved. It first described a tiger with a more reticulated pattern, and hobby usage has since widened to cover more looks.