Posted by:
Matt Harris
at Thu Jul 30 12:25:51 2009 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by Matt Harris ]
Chuck,
You're conclusions are based on a limited sample. You're assuming all timbers from NY are small, which is not even remotely close to the truth. The average timber is typically over 3ft and males are typically closer to 4-4.5ft. Even some of the Adirondack populations contain larger specimens. It appears to be more related to level of protection and the age of the snake than anything. Fortunately, NY snakes have been able to attain larger sizes since they were legally protected back in the early 80s (Bill Brown has documented this in his studies, that the overall length and weight of timbers has increased----he even had one tracked for over 30 years!)
This isn't limited to timbers. We've found hognose snakes well over 40inches as well, so while common sense may say "Colder climate, shorter active season, smaller snake"....that's not the case.
Matt
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