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i cant find this anywhere

narcie Sep 25, 2003 08:06 AM

Hi

I have searched all over the internet how big Cal King get,
but all that i can come up with is how tall they are... while im more interrested in knowing how thick they will become.
Does anyone know how thick a king snake is at adult size and how long it takes before you can call him an adult.

Greets,

Narco

Replies (3)

oldherper Sep 25, 2003 09:55 AM

there are a whole lot of variables. That is the reason that when you see a description in a field guide, or other document describing a snake, the length is generally more specific than the girth. For length you will see an average range, ie; 48" to 52" (or expressed in metric units) and sometimes a record length. The girth is always more vague, such as "a heavy bodied snake" or "a slender snake". To some degree, snakes are individuals like people, and some will be heavier than others, especially in the wild. Snakes in captivity tend to be more on the obese side than they do in the wild. They will grow to a certain length, partially dependent on available food and partially due to the genetic blueprint for that species and age, then essentially stop growing. I say essentially because most will continue to grow at some rate all of their lives. The growth rate is very fast in the first couple of years of life, then slowing more and more as the snake gets older, during the last few years of life it will be nearly imperceptible.

Girth, for many species, is more dependent on food availability than genetics. For other species, especially those that are naturally more slender (especially active arboreal species), and have higher metabolic rates, girth seems more dependent on genetics. They don't seem to get particularly fat even in captivity. I've never seen (that I can recall) a really obese Mamba. Other more sedentary arboreals, such as Green Tree Pythons, can become obese in captivity.

narcie Sep 25, 2003 03:40 PM

Thanks again =)

froggystyle34 Sep 26, 2003 01:08 PM

mine is about 4 feet 2 inches long, i know cause she can styretch across her 75 gallon tank and have about two inches of tail on the side. and she is about the size of a paper towel roll, well about .5 of an inch narrower. i hope this makes sense. also she is 4 yers old, i got her when she was the size of a color pencil and now she eats four adult mice once a month, cause she wont touch a rat

froggy
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The next time the shuttle lands, lets all get dressed up in ape suits and charge at the astronaughts yelling and ranting. That way they can try to figure out where they took a wrong turn.

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