Gravel Royal Pythons for sale in the UK
A royal python with the Gravel gene shows flamed sides, a checkered edge on the belly, and gold-edged saddles, but an adult might look nearly like a normal. Because it is hard to tell them apart from a Yellow Belly by eye, a breeding record or a genetic test settles which gene an animal carries.
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- £20
- 1 for sale
All Gravel royal pythons
hypo pastel gravel yellowbelly
About the Gravel gene
The royal python (ball python) has a pattern and colour gene called Gravel which belongs to the Super Stripe complex. It is subtle on its own. It cannot be told from a Yellow Belly by eye, and an adult can pass for a normal.
Appearance
Gold-outlined saddles that stand out against the background are common in a Gravel, and these often have blushing along the back. Over the last third of the body, the pattern tends to break toward banding. Between the saddles, the side pattern has a flamed gradient of colour, a shotblast texture, and melanin speckling. Look at the belly. The edge where the belly scales meet the side pattern is checkered with a mix of chunks, chips and granite. The belly itself sometimes has tinted scales and birthmarks. A normal's head is similar, but the head here is a little darker and fades to a lighter crown. There are lip spots, joined eye stripes, a faint stamp near the neck, and the tail is bright. On the strongest animals, the tail follows the side pattern with gold outlining.
None of this is fixed. Adults can lose enough of the look to be mistaken for a normal, the head varies too, and each outcross turns out a different animal. Since a genetic test for the gene exists, you should ask about any animal sold as Gravel on looks alone.
Genetics
Gravel is incomplete dominant, though the hobby still loosely files it under "co-dom". Two copies of this gene make a Super Gravel. It is part of the Super Stripe complex, which is also called the Yellow Belly complex. It is allelic with other members like Yellow Belly, Asphalt, Spark, Specter and Flare. A Highway is made from one Gravel with one Yellow Belly. One Gravel with one Asphalt is sold as a Pavement. Because Gravel and Yellow Belly look alike, you tell them apart by a genetic test or a breeding trial. In 2008, the founding animals reached the United States. They were first taken for a darker line of Yellow Belly. The Animal Company first produced the gene.