Embryonic Development
After ova are fertilized a three and one-half to four-month period of development begins which varies somewhat depending on the temperature. In almost every instance the ova in the right uterus outnumber those in the left. Embryos usually assume the serpentine form in the latter part of June and are coiled in a counterclockwise spiral with the head on the outside of the coil. At this time the head is relatively large and birdlike in appearance with conspicuous protruding eyes. Sex is easily noted because the hemipenes of males are everted. By late July scales are well developed and the embryo is more snakelike in appearance, but pigmentation is still absent. By mid-August the color and pattern are well developed, the egg tooth is present, the snake shows a considerable increase in size over that of the previous month, and much of the yolk has been consumed. Some females that contain well developed embryos also contain eggs that fail to develop. Sizes of ova vary irrespective of size of female and stage of embryonic development. Lengths of ova ranged from 22 to 51 millimeters in May to 35 to 49 millimeters in July and August. A two-yolked egg was found in one female.