This phase of ball python is marked by an irregular speckled or “granite” pattern, a clean patternless belly and a broken dorsal stripe. The genetics of this morph are still unknown, with some breeders claiming simple recessive while others say it is dominant.

I have come across many irregular ball pythons that have been labeled as granites. Like black backs, granites are often graded on appearance. Nicer animals have an extreme granite pattern. At the opposite end of the spectrum, animals that have a few speckles can be labeled as normal. After all, normal ball pythons do often have broken dorsal stripes and speckles – it’s the extreme variation that marks the granite morph.

The pictured animal is a female. She has been bred to a pastel male and four eggs are currently incubating. I am really excited to see how this clutch turns out.