Do you find normals variable?

[BoidKeeper]

Every time I go to a pet store I always check out the ball pythons. When I visit online galleries I'm always checking out normal ball pythons. What I have found so far is that there seems to be at least three main types of normal ball pythons. Does anyone else find this to be true? Below are three normal ball pythons; I find that there are some major differences between them. The first has sort of a speckling throughout the pattern. The next is more uniform in its tan colour. Finally the last one is very dark. I have seen many dark bp's but they have always been adults. Does anyone have any dark juveniles?
Cheers,
Trevor
Speckling in pattern.(this type of pattern is my fav.)
http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/507/289togo__1-med.jpg
Second speckled pic.
http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/507/289cleo3-med.jpg
Uniform colour in pattern.
http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/507/289ghana2-med.jpg
Second uniform colour in pattern.
http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/507/289darth_ball-med.jpg
Dark Ball
http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/507/289don_ball-med.jpg

[Pythonian]

i've noticed that too .. but i guess that comes with all of the breeding techniques balls have been through over the many years.
Mike

[Lisa]

one of our juveniles is pretty dark, don't think he's a chocolate or anything, he's just dark.

[Linds]

Normal balls are extremely variable. They can have banding and be extremely light coloured, they can be heavily patterned and very dark, medium coloured with medium pattern, yellow with a busy pattern, the sky's the limit with normals - which is partly why there are so many people trying to pass normals off as morphs.

[BoidKeeper]

I wonder how much of it is as a result of locals? Take Okeetees for example, normal corn but specific to a geographic location. I would love to visit Togo and Ghana to see what they look like over there.
Cheers,
Trevor

[Jeff_Favelle]

They are extremely variable. But show me a wild-type snake that isn't. Corns? ATB's? Carpets? Garters? Hondos? Cal kings? Womas? All variable, and the Ball Python is no exception. It just gets more publicity on it because of the morphs that are out there.

[Edwin]

Normals balls have a lot of color and pattern variation. If you look at online ads, you will find all kinds of names for them. I am not Dr. Moreau, but I believe most of them are not genetic.

[BoidKeeper]

I guess I actually find that there are three main types of "normal" balls. With countless variations of each. I realize that these are not coral snakes, all of them are some what different, however I have only noticed three different normals, banded, striped, reduced patterns etc being obviouse exceptions.
Trevor

[Kyle Walkinshaw]

I have two bp's a few months apart in age, one has always been a bright gold color in the bands against a dark black and my second bp has very dark chocolate colored bands, both normals but I see the point your getting at, i'm sure there are hundreds of different variations.

[Jeff_Favelle]

Actually, they are all genetic. Maybe not in the way the owner wants them to be, but genes control the genotype, which determines the phenotype. So EVERY characteristic is genetic. Basic biology.