Hello Mark. Great question! I have not studied neonate or hatchling dispersal per se, and I would imagine that considering the small size and at times secretive nature of young snakes this is a fairly difficult task. I read a study several years ago that was tracking this information with hatchling turtles but the recapture rate was so low the results were limited. This study had to do with natural growth rates over a period of time and habitats frequented by the various age classes. At hatching snakes would be too small for telemetry devices and even the insertion of pit tags would be risky. Scale clipping would be a possibility but this wouldn't solve the problem of subsequent recaptures. I have made some field observations regarding neonate snakes and I believe some inferrences can be made by what is seen in the field as far as their activity is concerned to some degree. I believe that depending on the species the dispersal rate can be great or fairly minimum. For example, those species that have different dietary requirements as to potential food items as juveniles from adult may need to seek places where they can secure substanance and this may well be somewhere other than where the adults find food. A couple of examples of contrasting needs. Diadophis feed heavily on earthworms and Plethodon salamanders at all age classes. There is no need for great dispersal and these snakes are often found in colonial situations while some species that feed preferentially on rodents as adults may feed on lizards and tree frogs as juveniles and may have a greater need to disperse to different feeding grounds. Another consideration of course would be nesting sites and rookeries may well be different than optimal feeding grounds for many species so there may be a need for original dispersal for the young snakes upon hatching/partuation. I think it is generally understood that this original dispersion coincides with a high rate of mortality in young snakes as they are finding their way. We frequently see baby snakes in unusual places in the late summer and early fall. Young rat snakes finding their way into inhabited buildings is an example of this. There is strong evidence that at least in some species such as Pituophis (Zappalorti) and C.horridus (William Brown) the young snakes follow scent trails from the adults to places in which they overwinter. We have reason to believe this happens with Agkistrodon.p.leucostoma in Ky. Here the adults leave the swamps and spend the winter months on adjacent rocky bluffs. After the adults start moving to higher ground we see good numbers of neonates leaving the swamps in that direction. I think there is much yet to be learned on this topic and I would be interested in hearing what others have to say. Phil
Snake hunting in Kentucky

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