The Hypomelanism (aka "Hypo") morph in Bearded Dragons causes a reduction in melanin (the same brown pigment that gives us suntans) in the skin. This makes the dragons much lighter in colour.

The effects of this are two-fold; firstly the dragon appears lighter overall, with a larger propertion of white areas. Secondly, other colours are not directly affected by the gene, but they are less masked by the brown pigment. This makes the Dragons appear brighter and more colourful than usual. When combined with already-vibrant morphs such as Citruses and Reds, the Hypo gene can create stunningly-coloured animals.

Hypomelanistic Dragons are almost totally white on hatching. The first photo shows a White Hypo Bearded Dragon at a few days of age. The second photo shows two week-old Yellow Hypo Pastel Dragons next to a non-Hypo dragon for comparison:

 

Hypomelanism is caused by a pair of mutated genes, which are recessive to the normal, "wild type" allele at that locus. Genes such as these - where a single gene has a large effect on the colour or pattern of an individual - are far fewer in Bearded Dragons than in other commonly-kept reptiles such as Leopard Geckos, Royal Pythons or Corn Snakes. One of the reasons for this may be that Leopard Geckos, Royals and Corns can all be wild-collected and exported. This means that any unusual-looking wild individuals can be captured and bred from. The restrictions regarding capturing wild Bearded Dragons are much stricter, and there is a total ban on exporting them from Australia. This means that the only single-gene morphs available are those that have mutated whilst in captivity.

I plan to put up a page explaining some of the principles behind Bearded Dragons genetics at some point in the future; in the meantime you want to learn more, I'd recommend reading through "Genetics 101" to "Genetics 601" on the VMSherp website.

As the Hypo gene is recessive, an individual must carry two copies of the gene to appear Hypomelanistic (the individual is then said to be "homozygous") - one copy from each parent. Individuals with only a single copy of the gene (aka "heterozygous") appear normal, but may pass a copy of the gene on to their offspring. If bred to another animal that also carries the gene, some offspring would be expected to appear Hypomelanistic.

As adults, Hypomelanistic individuals keep their paleness, and many develop lavender tones, especially on their shoulders and sides. This is the back of one of our adult males; it shows the lavender tones nicely, as well as the general reduction in brown pigmentation.

 

Hypomelanistic Dragons show clear nails, without the dark spine, as in this photo:

 

 Hypomelanism is a gene that we are planning to work with extensively in the future, due to the way in which is can indirectly enhance other colours - this is a Red/Orange Hypo Leatherback, showing just how vibrant Hypo Dragons can be!

 

At the other extreme are the "Hypo Snow" and "Marketed Leucistic" dragons - by removing most of the dark pigment, it's possible to create very white dragons, such as Jynx, pictured here with Ketu. This is another area we will be exploring in the next few months.

 

 

Check out our Future Plans to see what projects are coming up.