Natural History of the Racer Coluber constrictorFitch, Henry S. (Henry Sheldon)
Science
Natural History of the Racer Coluber constrictor
Fitch, Henry S. (Henry Sheldon)
Racer snake
Detailed observations on hatching were made on a clutch of eggs laid
on June 29 and 30, 1962, by a female caught in Harvey County. The
first egg in the clutch had already been laid in the trap when the
female was found at 11:30 a. m., June 29. Two of the eggs were
abnormal, with thin transparent shells, and were found to lack embryos
when they were opened on July 7. Later, two other eggs were attacked
by mold and the embryos died early in development. The clutch was kept
in a can of slightly damp soil. At 2:30 p. m. on August 13, when the
clutch was examined, egg no. 6 was found to have hatched. The young
snake had made a 21-millimeter slit in the shell. At 12:50 a. m. on
August 14, it was discovered that eggs 1, 4, 5 and 7 each had been
slit. No. 4 had two parallel slits separated by a two-millimeter strip
of shell, and the young racer could be seen inside. At 1:05 a. m.
this young snake had changed position and was lying upside down in the
egg, his snout protruding slightly through one of the slits. At 1:45
a. m. he was again right side up, still in the shell. At this time
each of the slit eggs showed the protruding snout of a young snake.
Occasionally the viscous liquid egg white would be blown into a large
bubble on the surface of the shell as the young snake exhaled. A third
slit, parallel to the others, had appeared in egg no. 4. A hatchling
emerged from egg no. 1 between 2:20 and 3:20 a. m., and another from
no. 7 between 7:00 and 9:00 a. m. The hatchling struck vigorously many
times, and vibrated his tail when he was disturbed. Egg no. 3 was
first slit between 7:00 and 9:00 a. m., and three more slits appeared
in it between 9:15 and 10:15 a. m. At 12:45 p. m. a hatchling was
found in the act of emerging from egg no. 4, and approximately the
anterior one-fourth of its body protruded. Disturbed by the movements
of the observer, the little snake drew back into its shell. This
hatchling began to emerge again at 12:50 and his hatching was
completed at 1:00 p. m. Between 5:40 and 6:20 p. m. a hatchling
emerged from egg no. 3 (for several hours this hatchling had been
lying on its back inside the egg, with only its snout protruding); two
slits appeared in egg no. 2 and three slits appeared in egg no. 8. At
6:50 p. m. the hatchling in the latter thrust his snout through the
slit in this eggshell. This hatchling was lying on its back at first
but by 10:50 it had shifted to a normal position. It emerged from the
shell between 2:35 and 2:50 a. m. Egg no. 2 was the last to hatch. At
7:05 p. m. the hatchling inside made two additional small slits in the
shell, and at 7:30 p. m. thrust its snout through one of them, while
lying on its back. At 1:45 a. m. it was right side up, but at 3:00 a.
m. had reverted to its previous position. At 4:40 a. m. it was again
right side up, and it emerged from the shell at 5:55 p. m.
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