Western Hognose

Removes all melanin (black and brown pigment). Homozygous Albino animals display a bright yellow-orange background with white, cream, or pale yellow saddle marks and no dark pigment anywhere on the body. Eyes are pink to red. The most common morph in western hognose captive breeding. Foundational for Snow (Albino + Axanthic) and Coral (Albino + Evans Hypo) combos.

ID tips: Bright yellow-orange base with white/cream saddles, no dark pigment, red/pink eyes. Absence of any dark scales or dark eye color confirms Albino. Compare to Evans Hypo (which reduces but does not eliminate dark pigment).

Pattern reduction gene with dosage-dependent expression. Correctly classified as incomplete dominant (called "co-dominant" in the hobby). Heterozygous Anaconda (one copy): significantly reduced and broken dorsal pattern. Homozygous Super Anaconda (two copies): dramatically reduced pattern approaching near-patternless. No health defects documented for Super Anaconda. Search demand: "hognose anaconda" 590/mo (DataForSEO US March 2026).

ID tips: Anaconda (het): reduced broken or fragmented dorsal saddle pattern compared to wild-type; lateral pattern reduced. Super Anaconda: near-patternless to patternless dorsal surface; highly uniform coloration. Variable expressivity exists in het form.

Reduces or eliminates xanthophore pigment (yellow and red pigment). Homozygous Axanthic animals display a silvery-gray to blue-gray coloration with reduced or absent yellow and orange tones. Melanin is fully retained — dark eyes and bold dark pattern elements. Axanthic is independent from Lavender. When combined with Albino, produces the Snow morph.

ID tips: Silvery-gray to blue-gray background; dark gray to black saddle marks; dark eyes. No yellow, orange, or warm tones. Distinguished from Lavender by the cooler more silver-gray (vs. gray-lavender/purple) base color.

Shifts overall pigmentation toward warm brown and caramel tones. Homozygous Caramel animals display a warm golden-brown to caramel background color with brown saddle marks. Melanin retained but appears in warmer brown rather than dark gray-black tones. Participates in Lemon Ghost (Caramel + Evans Hypo) and various Anaconda combos.

ID tips: Warm golden-brown to caramel background; saddle marks warm brown rather than dark gray-black; overall warmer more uniform coloration than wild-type. Dark eyes.

Reduces melanin production (hypomelanistic). Homozygous Evans Hypo animals display a general lightening and brightening of coloration — darker pigment elements reduced, producing cleaner higher-contrast appearance. Dark eyes retained (not pink/red). Named after Randy Evans who established the line. Independence from other hypo lines and all other loci confirmed by complementation testing.

ID tips: Brighter cleaner coloration with reduced dark pattern elements; saddle marks lighter-edged; dark eyes retained. Distinguished from Albino by retention of some dark pigment and dark eyes.

Produces distinctive grey-lavender coloration. Homozygous Lavender animals display a soft gray background with lavender, lilac, or purple-gray undertones. Warm orange tones reduced and shifted toward cool lavender and gray. Lavender is independent from Axanthic — confirmed by complementation testing. Participates in Arctic (Axanthic + Lavender) and various Anaconda combos.

ID tips: Gray base with lavender/lilac/purple undertones; saddle marks darker lavender to brownish-purple; dark eyes. Distinguished from Axanthic by the warmer purple-gray (vs. cool silver-gray) tone.

Modifies belly coloration and patterning. Homozygous Toffee Belly animals display a distinctive yellow-toffee or golden-amber coloration on the ventral surface, replacing the typical black-and-white checkered belly pattern. Dorsal pattern may also show some modification. Creates the Toffeeconda combo when combined with Anaconda.

ID tips: Toffee/golden-amber to yellow belly coloration replacing the typical black-and-white checkered ventral pattern. Visual inspection of the belly is the primary identification method.