i believe that a fairly reliable method is the size/shape of the tail after the anus but you have to be very familiar with the species.
Kings of the Great Valley
- Thread starter David Tobler
- Start date
It is extremely hard unless you have extremely similar sized male and females held up at the same time to you
Thanks for the compliments everyone.
To answer everyone's questions about how I'm determining the gender on the snakes I find. First off, usually it's very easy to tell by the shape and size of the tail in adult snakes. Every now and then you have an individual that's inbetween. Not all male kings have large, thick tails. Every now and then you'll get a female with a big thick tail, usually if she's over the 4' mark.
Simply probing the snake to determine the gender is often done while in the field. Smaller kings, usually under 2', can be "popped". Meaning the hemipenes can gently be everted. Males will show the long, red colored hemipenes. While females will show the short, white colored, red tipped scent glands.
An interesting thing about female kingsnakes, is that they're more likely to musk on you! Females will often bleed slightly from the cloaca or scent glands.
I think I mentioned in a previous post on here about the 'Eiseni' aberrant kings, how they are sexually dimorphic. I've found males typically have some sort of striped pattern or abarrancy on the tail. Females will just be banded or only have horizontal half band markings. I believe this odd occurance to be soley structural. I have serveral other hypothesis on these kings, that I'll be working on in the years to come.
Oh and Woodlake, would more than likely have the very same kings. I've yet to search that area though.
To answer everyone's questions about how I'm determining the gender on the snakes I find. First off, usually it's very easy to tell by the shape and size of the tail in adult snakes. Every now and then you have an individual that's inbetween. Not all male kings have large, thick tails. Every now and then you'll get a female with a big thick tail, usually if she's over the 4' mark.
Simply probing the snake to determine the gender is often done while in the field. Smaller kings, usually under 2', can be "popped". Meaning the hemipenes can gently be everted. Males will show the long, red colored hemipenes. While females will show the short, white colored, red tipped scent glands.
An interesting thing about female kingsnakes, is that they're more likely to musk on you! Females will often bleed slightly from the cloaca or scent glands.
I think I mentioned in a previous post on here about the 'Eiseni' aberrant kings, how they are sexually dimorphic. I've found males typically have some sort of striped pattern or abarrancy on the tail. Females will just be banded or only have horizontal half band markings. I believe this odd occurance to be soley structural. I have serveral other hypothesis on these kings, that I'll be working on in the years to come.
Oh and Woodlake, would more than likely have the very same kings. I've yet to search that area though.
<Oh and Woodlake, would more than likely have the very same kings. I've yet to search that area though>
don't bother, except for the occasional matress or sheet of ply in a field you'll have a hard time finding snakes. the best way is to go out in the surrounding foothills and in three rivers.
don't bother, except for the occasional matress or sheet of ply in a field you'll have a hard time finding snakes. the best way is to go out in the surrounding foothills and in three rivers.
