The Wild Variety of Patterns in Leopard Gecko Morphs

Why are these adorable lizards called “leopard geckos”? It’s because of the flecks, streaks, and swirls of color that make each one unique. These traits are caused by “morphs” and are turned into leopard geckos by breeders.

A “morph” is a particular genetic strain that produces particular patterns in leopard geckos. Morphs make collecting and identifying leopard geckos a lot of fun.

There are tons of morphs and new ones are created every year. But, here are some of the basics.

Albino

Albino Leos do not have black pigmentation. They are not necessarily snow white; many are cream or yellow. The albino morph trait can be mixed with other morphs to create new ones such as “albino jungles” or “albino chocolates”.

tangerines

Like the fruit that gives them their name, these leos are bright orange. They usually don’t have very noticeable patterns. One form of mandarin is the “hypomandarin”, which does not have any pattern.

blizzards

These lions are pure white, often with a gray head. Its intense white color is accentuated by eyes that sometimes have blue or red tints.

mack snows

This popular morph produces yellow or white lions covered in black spots. There are variations of this form, such as the “super snow”, which has jet-black stripes and matching black eyes.

giant leopard geckos

This morphology is not characterized by pattern but by size. They are large lions weighing more than a kilogram and almost a foot long. They can have any type of pattern.

raptor transformations

A variety of morphs fall into the “raptor” category. They are distinguished by their snake eyes and have been mixed with other morphs to create hybrids.

carrot tail

This trait appears in many different forms. The tail is spiny and orange. A carrot tail adds some uniqueness to a leopard gecko of any shape.

Morphs are highly sought after and because of that, you won’t find them often in regular pet stores. The place to find morphs is at lizard shows or breeder websites. Owning a leopard gecko is great, but there’s nothing like having your own wild patterned morph.