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Paul's pythons are bang on as is the advice !! ... I will own a off spring one day *(soon)
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Thanks Murph
 
Anytime mate!! By the end of the year I want to have my hands on another BHP.. and yours ore the ones I am aiming for.. [emoji4]

Instagram: murph_BTK
 
Just on that let me point out that wild caught BHP's from some regions do carry gold patches, (reduced black) under the chin. This has simply been expanded upon by some breeders through selective/line breeding.
I think the specific animal you are referring too would be from a QLD breeder, (I won't name names). Thing is they have also been bred to bring out another trait that I really like which is the Train Track pattern along the spine.

I only saw the picture. I don't know who the breeder was. Are there any records of wild BHPs with orange heads?

A Orange/Gold headed BHP is not really a Woma is it? (And I never heard of a black headed Woma though I have seen and would love to have a black woma). Regardless of colours/markings a BHP is still a BHP.....Lets be honest here BHP is just a name. Is a Zebra no longer a zebra because its pattern/colours change?
These are not crossed with other species, they are an extension of a trait that can be found on wild type animals......Is that not what humans do. (I'm sure we have had this conversation before lol)
We do have a plan for the reduced colour line which Im not going to go into any great detail on and I agree it won't be everyones cup of tea but its still a BHP.

Fair enough Paul. If you're keen on them you're entitled to that. But can you really still call an orange headed specimen a Black Headed Python? If you take a look at the Latin name Aspidites melanocephalus. In Greek melano roughly translates as "black". Whereas cephalos, derived from the Greek word kephalos translates as "head". It's only a name, of course. But it does make you wonder when the said animal no longer resembles its name.

In no way am I trying to bash morph breeders. I'll probably be one of the first to admire an all black python. It just seems as though people get carried away when it comes to selective breeding. If in another world it was normal for BHPs to have spots instead of stripes, I'm sure every man and his dog would be attempting to breed an individual with stripes. When does it end? Why is there a need to change the animal in the first place?
 
Why is there a need to change the animal in the first place?

Man has spent millennia changing everything he can. Its what humans do. Too often used is the word progress and unfortunately progress is changing the world we live in at the fastest pace it ever has.

Are there any records of wild BHPs with orange heads?

I'm unable to answer that but I have seen photo's of wild BHP's with reduced black on the chin/throat. George might have a better source of information than I but it honestly wouldn't surprise me.

Is a white tiger any less of a tiger? Leucism, Albanism, Chimerism, All occur in the wild but to a lesser degree than in captivity. Captive breeders line breed to bring these traits to the surface in an environment where the animal isn't going to become a snack for a predator. Why, because there is demand for them. I have no doubt that the traits you refer to are visible in wild animals though to much smaller extent/number than they are in captivity. There are still variations in wild types that have not yet been brought to the market in any numbers....I will name the Bumblebee BHP. I have yet to know anyone selling them.....it will be seen as a new and exciting morph when it does but its a genuine line of wild type animal.

The world will continue along its current path unfortunately and even if it, (breeding morphs) were banned all that would happen is that the value would increase and the market for such variations would increase. Then we would have these animals kept in squalid conditions by truly unscrupulous people.

[doublepost=1516892011,1516891576][/doublepost]Some examples of melanism in wild animals.

lifebuzz-5000fe8578c3d713702fdbf68aec522e-limit_2000.jpg lifebuzz-1cdfc0c8c5c061fb8cdd9b549a974277-limit_2000.jpg lifebuzz-fcd1a36ec74b21d3b54832a03835811a-limit_2000.jpg

This video has some fairly interesting parts if you can cope with the typical 'over presenting' on it. Including a rare Silver Boa thought critically endangered.

 
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Black headed python is a "common name". Which when referring to snakes is the worst thing to call them by really. Albino BHP are in captivity and guess what colour their heads are? Yep orange. Melanism or black pigment is generally a natural uv protection system, but it can also serve as camouflage, and also a means of heating up quicker. Most cold climate snakes are dark so they can heat up to their optimum body temperature quicker.
I'm of the opinion that any morph produced in captivity (other than jags and crosses) has been represented in the wild at some time. There is documented evidence of wild Bhp with gold patches like Paul's mentioned.
So for a snake to not represent its "common name" is very common.
Take the green tree snake, their not even green most of the time, they are more olive/grey and yellow. Sometimes they are blue. Sometimes they are black. So wether it "resembles it's common name" or not is irrelevant, but can be confusing.
 
Gold flecks or spots on the underside of the head are relatively common in Dajarra (QLD) specimens. Not to such a large degree as in captivity, but the gold head form originated from these then was outbred to the NT forms who show more orange on the bodies.
 
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