Reptiles Magazine
Leopard gecko breeder noticed skin cancers in the lemon frost morph.
June 24, 2021
Lemon frost leopard gecko with cancerous tumors. Photo by Steve Sykes. et al.
While unique leopard gecko morphs are always sought after amongst reptile keepers, some combinations create genetics that are detrimental to the lizards. A case in point is that of the “lemon frost” leopard gecko morph. This morph has been show by researchers to contain a rare skin cancer from the reptile’s pigment producing cells known as iridophores, according to a story in Scientific American.
Reptile breeder Steve Sykes purchased a pair of the lemon frost leopard gecko morph from a breeder in 2015 and after a year breeding the male with other geckos, Sykes noticed some of the offspring were growing small white bumps on their bodies, which Sykes knew to be tumors. Sykes wanted to know if there was a way to breed the lemon frost morph free of the tumors, and if the coloration was linked to the c