I was told by this fellow that the female snakes have a body shape that stays more or less the same diameter all the way to the vent, and then drastically narrows to the tail, while males have a more gradual taper. This is, supposedly, because the females have to lay eggs, so need a larger diameter right at the vent, whereas with males it doesn't matter.
This makes sense. But see above about taking it with a grain of salt, as I've never heard this before. On adult snakes you can tell by looking at the spurs, as males have large ones and females hardly have them at all. And it's also possible to tell just by feeling the snake, if you know what to feel for. But those are all methods where there's a good bit of possible error involved, so probing is the only certain method.
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branchandroot
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Date: 2007-10-20 11:01 pm (UTC)This makes sense. But see above about taking it with a grain of salt, as I've never heard this before. On adult snakes you can tell by looking at the spurs, as males have large ones and females hardly have them at all. And it's also possible to tell just by feeling the snake, if you know what to feel for. But those are all methods where there's a good bit of possible error involved, so probing is the only certain method.