The eye color of a leopard gecko can vary quite dramatically from one leo to another. So what color eyes has your leo got? Is it a normal one with a visible pupil that looks like a vertical slit during daylight hours? Or is it instead a solid-color one where you can't really distinguish the pupil? If it's a solid-color one, is it black? Red?
One of the greatest achievements of modern leopard gecko breeders is to produce 'morphs' (visually distinct breeds) not only with different patterns and background colors, but also with different eyes. Let's take a look at them:
'Normal'
The leopard geckos that are found in the wild have dark, slightly metallic tinged irises. Because geckos are nocturnal they have eyes that are adapted for night-time vision, meaning that they're very sensitive to light. This is why during the day (or in the presence of any bright light) their pupils close up into slits. If they didn't do this, bright light would seriously damage them.
Normal leos are already pretty to look at, but that wasn't enough for professional breeders!
Solid black
Also known as 'Snake Eyes' or 'Eclipse,' some leo morphs have black irises rather than the metallic-tinged irises of normal leos. As pupils are of course black too, this makes it very hard to distinguish pupil from iris, and makes it look as if their eyes are simply black orbs.
Ruby-eye
The brother to solid black eyes, some morphs have solid red eyes. This is caused by albinism, which means that there is no dark pigment in the eyes to obscure the underlying retinal blood vessels. Note that not all albino leopard geckos have red eyes, but incubation at high temperatures of around 90 degrees Fahrenheit increases the incidence and the brightness of red eyes. Those that don't have red eyes have beige ones.
Of the three albino strains currently identified (Tremper, Bell, Rainwater) it's the Bell Albino that has the reddest eyes. While Tremper and Rainwater Albinos are often born with red eyes but have them fade as they grow into adulthood, Bell Albinos are more likely to retain their red eyes into and throughout their adult lives.
Perhaps the most striking of the ruby-eyed leopard gecko morphs is the Diablo Blanco (also known as the Blazing Blizzard). This is an all-white leo, which provides a lot of contrast for their somewhat 'devilish' eyes.
Yellow
It's currently unconfirmed whether or not this eye color really exists, but rock star leopard gecko breeder Ron Tremper (creator of the Tremper Albino) has said that he has produced a new morph, the 'Xanthic,' that has eyes in the spectrum of bright yellow to rich gold. Apparently Xanthic eyes are laced with red from visible blood vessels like for normal albino eyes.
Yellow eyes have never been seen in leos before, so if it's true, it would represent a big breakthrough in breeding science.
People choose their pets for different reasons and the eye color of a leopard gecko might just be your preference, just remember there are several to choose from.
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