Justin Kobylka breeds snakes and recently he hatched an albino ball python, which he noticed had something interesting about the scale pattern. He noticed three very distinct markings: emoji smiley faces.
He has said regarding the unique pattern:
“I knew theoretically that you could get smiley faces — one smiley face is not that uncommon. I would likely be able to breed more in the future that have just one, but I don’t know if I could get three ever again no matter how long I try. It’s really a lucky thing.”
To have a highly patterned albino snake is a difficult task, as most bred ball pythons usually have little to not patterning. This particular snake has two recessive mutations: albinism and piebaldism. Female snakes lay six eggs in a year and the odds are one in 16 that a snake is born carrying both mutations.
Kobylka goes onto say:
“The special smilies are fun, but we’re just happy to be able to make an albino ball python. Two years ago, making an albino ball python was a holy grail.”
These snakes are valued between $30,000 to $40,000. But don't expect to be able to purchase this unique snake; Kobylka is keeping it.