The crested gecko is polymorphic, having a variety of color, pattern and even structural morphs. Crested gecko morphs and colors are classified by these various color and pattern traits. This abundance of choices makes it difficult to select a crested gecko as a pet, but makes this reptile unique in that there are no two exactly alike.
Crested Gecko Morphs
The crested gecko pattern types, referred to as morphs, are as follows:
- Patternless – One solid color with little or no pattern.
- Bicolor – Similar to the patternless, but with a different solid color on the dorsal area.
- Tiger – Streaks of color resembling tiger stripes running down the length of the crested gecko.
- Brindle – Similar to the tiger but with more stripes that sometimes spread to the limbs as well as the body.
- Chevron back – Bands of lighter color run down the dorsal area.
- Fire – One of the most common, this crested gecko has a lighter head and dorsal area, as well as between the front and back legs. These areas are patterned.
- Harlequin – Similar to the fire crested gecko, with the pattern extending to the front limbs.
- Pinstripe – One of the new crested gecko types, this morph is a fire gecko with two white stripes along the dorsal area.
- Stripe – This crested gecko has a lateral white stripe between the dorsal and ventral areas.
- Dalmation – As the name suggests, this crested gecko has black and white spots, and sometimes red, covering its body.
- White Fringe – The edges of the back legs and tail are white.
There are also two structural morphs of the crested gecko species. These are:
- Enlarged crests – crests are unusually large and cover the entire back.
- Crowned – the head is larger and may point downward.
Crested gecko color standards are identified as buckskin, chocolate, cream, olive, orange, red, rust, salmon, sulphur and yellow. In addition to the pattern specific morphs above, there are three that are color specific. The blonde morph has a chocolate and cream combination. The Halloween has a chocolate and orange color combination. The highly sought-after Creamsicle morph is a combination of orange and cream.
Searching for a new crested gecko or different color of crested gecko? You don’t have to look far with the amazing crested gecko genetics. With such a wide variety of color and pattern combinations, choosing just one can be quite a challenge.
Choosing Your Crestie by Morph
Find your the important details on how to choose a crested gecko by morph.
