Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Does anyone here know if subspecies record lengths take captive animals into account or are they recorded as found in the wild? The reason I ask is I have a Trans-Pecos Copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix pictigaster) that is much bigger than the record I can find for the subspecies. She was 41 inches when I measured her a couple weeks ago and the record length I can find for pictigaster is 32 7/8 inches. This snake was collected as a juvenile 6/24/1998 in Brewster County Texas. This is not within the intergrade zone with the Broad-Banded Copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix laticinctus) which I believe only ranges into Val Verde County but the record length I could find even for laticinctus was 37 ¼ inches. I have no idea how records are accounted for or if this will be of interest to anyone but someone here has to know more on the subject than me…

Can't help with your request. Just wanted to say that 41 inches is one big copperhead. Wow!

Not sure where they get record length data from but that sounds like a huge pict...Got pics?

You’re right, 41 inches is a big Copperhead, and pictigaster are supposed to be the smallest subspecies! I just hadn't realized how big she was compared to the supposed record size for pictigaster. 41 inches is almost a 20% increase on the subspecies record I found of 32 7/8. Not often do you see a record surpassed by 20%. As chunky as Copperheads are built I'd imagine this snake would blow any weight record out of the water as well (doubt one exists though). I don't have any recent pictures that would show her size but I can certainly take some tonight. It sounds like there aren't many pure pictigaster out there but there can't be any doubt if I collected it myself in Brewster County is there? I'll take belly pictures and anything else suggested showing this is a pure pictigaster. I'll try to get her to lay flat against the glass like the last time I measured her and take a picture with the tape measurer visible. I don't like to handle my venomous snakes at all so please don't request that I stretch her out by hand and measure her (she wouldn’t stand for that anyways). I've never been bitten and I don't plan on it. Any other suggestions to show the size of a snake when photographing I'd be willing to try. History: This animal has been in my possession since it's capture 6/24/1998. It has never fed more than 12 times (live adult lab mice) a year and is brumated at least 5 months each year. I have brumated this animal for 6 months a year some years because she goes off feed early (refused the last 2 times I offered food so she may be done for the year already, last meal was in July). She has never been bred and always kept solitary. Not sure if any of these factors would contribute to her size but I can imagine there's a possibility.

Well it doesn't seem that there has been much interest on this topic. If anyone happens to read this that knows anything about record sizes or wants pictures I can be reached at acpictigaster@hotmail.com Thanks to those that replied, please contact me personally if you wish...