Spotnose Royal Pythons for sale in the UK

Spotnose is a pattern gene of the royal python (ball python). One copy gives a lighter dorsal pattern, rounded alien heads and a heavy, skull-like head stamp. Because it rearranges pattern in combinations, it turns up in a great many clown and designer projects.

Appearance

You can tell by the head. A Spotnose almost always has a large head stamp that keepers compare to a skull, with spots along the top lip. Even when Spotnose is stacked with other genes, a spot usually stays in the centre of the forehead. Because Pastel and other genes wash out the head stamp, a Spotnose combination can be harder to call by eye.

The alien heads on the body are disconnected and rounded. Each one usually holds a single spot instead of the several eyes of a normal. A dorsal stripe is shown by many animals, and the dorsal colour runs lighter than a normal. The tail is usually dominated by a serrated dorsal stripe. With spotting that varies from animal to animal, the belly looks much like a normal's.

The Powerball, also known as Super Spotnose, is a more extreme take on the single-gene look.

Genetics

One copy of the Spotnose gene creates a Spotnose while two copies make a Super Spotnose, which is known as the Powerball in the hobby. Because it is an incomplete dominant, many sellers still use the term co-dom, which is the older word for this same behaviour. This gene is part of the Spider complex and is allelic with Woma, Black Head, Chocolate, Cypress, Sable, Wookie, Champagne, Hidden Gene Woma, and Spider. Combinations built on it have been named Twilight (Cinnamon Spotnose), Night Crawler (Cinnamon Lesser Spotnose) and Havoc (Pinstripe Spotnose Yellow Belly). The first Spotnose was produced by Dave and Tracy Barker at VPI, and VPI hatched the first Powerball in 2005.

Known issues

The concern in this family is the super rather than a single-copy Spotnose. Super Spotnose (Powerball) is linked to a neurological condition known as 'wobble' that can affect balance and coordination. Since Spotnose shares the Spider complex, Spotnose Champagne and Spotnose Spider also tend to show a severe wobble. Think through both pairings before you plan either one. Our written breeding guidance for Spotnose listings says not to pair a Spotnose with another Spotnose, and you confirm you have read it before you enquire. Severity varies between individuals - please research the morph and ask the seller about this specific animal before buying.