Nesting Behavior of Pine Snakes (Pituophis m. melanoleucus) in the New Jersey Pine Barrens

We studied the excavation and nesting behavior of pine snakes (Pituophis m. melanoleucus) in the New Jersey Pine Barrens from 1977-1989. Females excavate a tunnel and nest chamber for egg laying. Females initially make slight depressions in the sand (pre-test holes, 22%), then construct small test holes (16%), and finally excavate long tunnels leading to nest burrows (62%). Test holes and nests did not differ in most external characteristics (dump pile size, entrance size), although they did differ in soil moisture at the end of the tunnel, mean tunnel length, and number of turns. Mean clutch size was 9.5 ? 0.3 (range 4-16), and was related to female snout-vent length (r = 0.60, P < 0.001). Female vertebrates exert control over the growth, development, and survival of embryos either by having internal development (i.e., most mammals), impregnable eggs (i.e., most birds),