Geckos are small lizards that have been bred to produce an abundance of variations known as morphs, which is a color or a pattern that can vary within a species. Sometimes these differences occur in nature, and sometimes they are the result of selective breeding. There are many different kinds of geckos, but leopard geckos and crested geckos in particular have become popular pets that have a wide variety of gecko morphs. Some of the leopard gecko morphs are known as albinos, blizzards, tangerines, and jungles, while some popular crested gecko morphs are tigers, brindles, flames, and harlequins.
Normal leopard geckos have black spots on yellowish-brown skin. This coloration is the result of a dominant gene. Recessive genes occasionally cause gecko morphs with different color of skin. Due to the popularity of geckos as small pets, breeders have used selective breeding to create lines of gecko morphs with striking colors and patterns.
Albino geckos, also known as amelanistic, don’t have any black pigment. They also do not have dark markings or spots like a normal gecko, although they can display various colors and patterns. Unlike albinos of other species, a gecko isn’t required to have red eyes in order to be classified as an albino.
Blizzards are gecko morphs that don’t show any patterns. They are available in many colors, including white, purple, bluish-black, brown, and yellow. Some of them have blue eyes, and both their striking eye color and wide assortment of color variations have made the blizzard one of the most popular gecko morphs.
Tangerine geckos have a bright orange body with a different color tail. They rarely have any patterns on their bodies. When they do have markings, they are usually so muted that they are difficult to see.
Jungle geckos have been selectively bred to have exotic patterns and colors. They may have stripes, spots, or other patterns. Jungles are the only gecko morphs available that have diagonal stripes. They are also characterized by dark stripes on the tail that don’t go all the way around.
A tiger is a morph of the crested gecko. Tiger geckos have distinct stripes across their backs that continue down their sides. These stripes are usually a darker shade of their body color. A variant of the tiger gecko is the brindle morph. Brindles have more patterning, but their markings are more muted than the patterns on the tiger morphs.
