Super Hypo Leopard Gecko
The Super Hypo is a line-bred leopard gecko selected for very few or no body spots, giving it a clean, brightly coloured back.
🗓️ Last reviewed: July 2026
Overview
The Super Hypo is a line-bred leopard gecko selected for very few or no body spots, giving it a clean, brightly coloured back. It is one of the foundational "base" morphs in the hobby and appears in countless combination animals. The Super Hypo is a colour and pattern morph of the leopard gecko (Eublepharis macularius).
What it is
"Hypo" is short for hypomelanistic, meaning reduced dark (melanin) spotting. A standard leopard gecko has a back scattered with dark spots; a Hypo has fewer of them, and a Super Hypo takes this further, showing ten or fewer body spots (many keepers reserve the label for animals with no body spots at all). The result is a cleaner, more saturated body colour compared with a normal wild-type. Spotting on the head and tail is usually still allowed and does not disqualify the animal.
The genetics
Super Hypo is polygenic, or line-bred, not a simple single-gene trait. There is no dominant, recessive, or "co-dom" gene to carry here. Instead, the low-spot look is the sum of many small genetic factors that breeders concentrate over generations by repeatedly choosing the cleanest-looking parents. Because it is polygenic, results fall along a spectrum rather than snapping to fixed ratios, and "Super Hypo" is really a description of how few spots an individual shows rather than a fixed genotype. It is often stacked with other traits (for example Tangerine or Baldy lines) to build combination morphs.
Appearance
The base colour is typically yellow, and in tangerine-influenced lines it can push toward orange. The defining feature is the near-absence of dark spots down the back, which lets the underlying colour read as bold and even. The head and tail may still carry spotting or the juvenile banding pattern. Eyes are the normal dark leopard gecko eye unless another morph is added. As with most leopard geckos, hatchlings start banded and the banding breaks up into the adult look as the animal matures, so a young Super Hypo may not show its final clean appearance until it grows up.
How it is bred
Because the trait is polygenic, breeders build it by selection rather than by a single pairing formula. They choose the parents with the fewest spots and the best colour, breed them together, then keep and pair the cleanest offspring again over successive generations. There are no het pairings or single-copy or two-copy rules to follow as there would be with a recessive or co-dominant gene. To make combination animals, keepers pair Super Hypo lines with other morphs so the low-spot look layers on top of another trait.
Cost and availability
Super Hypos are common and generally inexpensive, one of the more affordable and widely available leopard gecko morphs. Price rises mainly with colour intensity and when the trait is combined with more sought-after morphs, but a plain Super Hypo sits near the budget end of the market.
Health and ethics
The Super Hypo carries no known genetic health or welfare problem. It is a simple reduction in spotting and is not tied to any neurological, structural, or lethal issue, unlike some other morphs in the hobby. There is no ethical concern with keeping or breeding it beyond the usual responsible-breeding standards. As always, buy from a reputable breeder who keeps good records, and see a reptile (herp) veterinarian for any health concern.
Care
Care is identical to a standard leopard gecko. This morph changes only how the animal looks, not what it needs, so the same temperatures, heating, humidity, diet, and enclosure setup apply. Follow reputable, up-to-date leopard gecko care resources and consult a herp vet for health questions rather than relying on the morph name for any special instructions.
Super Hypo Leopard Gecko - frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a Hypo and a Super Hypo?
Both have reduced spotting, but the "Super" label is stricter. A Hypo simply shows fewer spots than a normal gecko, while a Super Hypo shows ten or fewer body spots, and many breeders use the term only for animals with no body spots at all. Head and tail spotting is usually still allowed.
Is Super Hypo a genetic morph I can predict in a clutch?
Not in the exact way you can with recessive or co-dominant genes. It is polygenic, so it is built by selecting the cleanest parents over several generations, and offspring fall along a range rather than into fixed ratios. Pairing two strong Super Hypos improves your odds of clean babies but does not guarantee them.