Maybe we just have small Agkistrodon? Western cottonmouths are the smallest of the 3 subspecies, but I've wild collected cottonmouths that have given birth to healthy litters, with the female being 18-20 inches total length. What sizes do you people see Agkistrodon giving birth in the other states? I know I can find a lot of the info in the literature, but I'd like to see what people are currently finding...
Most of the gravid leucostoma I find here in southern OK are in the 18-20" size range. I've never taken measurements on the neonates, but my gestalt-ometer tells me that the neos from this area are smaller than those I'm most familiar with from the upper TX coast, where most of the gravid leucostoma are in the 24-30" range. The adults from this area are definitely much "chunkier" than those from the coast.
In regard to contortrix, those from coastal Brazoria county, TX are relative dwarfs; I've found hundreds from that area, and 24" would be a monster! I can't honestly say that I've found one that large along the coast, though 30 or so miles inland, it becomes more the norm. Most adults are 14-18", which would probably rule out any sexual dimorphism that leaned toward larger males. Here are a couple of pics of ADULTS from that area:
This one was interesting, as it is the only copperhead I've seen that would gape as a threat measure.......when the camera neared, it would widen its gape, though not to the degree of a cottonmouth:
Shane
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