In all honesty, and realistically, the demands of lineage and the proper presentation of said lineage is really subjective when we are speaking solely for "Colombian" BCI Morphs; I am making it a point to state this because my opinions on this do not carry over into the Insular Island or BCC animals as the market preparation and presentation is different for each.
There are few times where I feel it is necessary to go back multiple generations on a boa constrictor. Most of the time, seeing what the parents are is all you really need to know exactly what that animal is and exactly what that animal is capable of in a genetic sense.
When it comes to recessive traits, if an animal is bought as a het. albino and it was bred from an albino parent and a het. parent, then it is het. albino, this is what Biology dictates. There really is no reason to go beyond the parents at that point for verification. Now, this may change a little if the animal was supposed to be het. Lipstick Albino. Since the Lipstick Albinos are animals bred for specific characteristics and traits, then one would expect that the original animals could be traced back to Tom Burke, regardless of how many generations have passed. The same could be said for true Coral Albinos or any "specialized" morph. When an animal has been bred specifically to present enhanced traits and characteristics that would not otherwise be considered part of the norm, asking for several generations of proof is not unreasonable especially when terms like "Coral" can be abused.
Now, when it comes to dominant (co-dominant, incomplete dominant, whatever you want to refer to them as) traits, I think things are a bit different. In my opinion, if a Jungle is a Jungle, it is a Jungle because it is a Jungle. You can tell the difference between a Jungle and a Probable or a Low Expression Jungle with minimal effort. If you have any doubt that the animal is a Jungle, then do not sell it as a Jungle and do not buy it as a Jungle. At this point, in the development of the Jungles, I feel it is a bit absurd to want documentation going all the way back to the original Swedish animals. There are many subpar and pathetic representations of the morph floating around the market, but when you run across a without a doubt Jungle, you know it, and when you can clearly see that one or both of the parents are Jungles, that is the confirmation. If you cannot tell, by yourself, that an animal is or is not a Jungle, you should not be dealing with the morph.
The expectation of a specific source of lineage and documentation means that someone would have to be regulating the market and making sure breeders are abiding by the demand. This is not realistic, logical or feasible in this industry. Because "Colombian" animals are so easily obtained these days and because so many of their morphs are very well established and very easy to figure, documenting all the way back to the number of the tree they fell out of is just ridiculous.
Basically, unless the animal is from a "specialized line", I do not see the point on massive documentation and extended lineage. Here are the animals I feel it is necessary on because without being able to link these animals to founding stock, you cannot rightfully claim them as such:
Lipstick Albinos
Coral Albinos
EBV Group Animals
Monstertails
Pastel Dream
Ferrari Line Pastels
Harlequins
Salmons
Aby Line
Ivory
White Group
Red Group
Lovell Line
Crabe Line
... and so on ... and so forth ...
The above listed animals are very specific animals that were bred specifically for enhanced characteristics and are a product of the originating breeder. Proof that these animals are linked to the founding stocks are important, so requesting paperwork for a few generations (either in a physical sense or even just photos) is not unreasonable.
When all is said and done, paperwork is really just a validation that some people may take seriously and some people may not. If the animal produces, what does it matter? There are numerous instances of hets. being sold with paperwork that ended up being forged. What it really comes down to is the reputation of the seller and the trust the buyer has in that seller.
disregarding the source reason for my posting this)A receipt from seller to buyer. Or better, A photo ID of a given animal with reference or pics of the parents. This is lineage. Anything beyond itis a bonus.
