Growth trajectories of male and female Lake Erie Watersnakes.

<p>Known-age males (upper) and females (lower) are indicated by points; colors distinguish age-classes 0 (left) through 9 (right). Composite Von Bertalanffy growth functions, based on parameter estimates from analyses of animals of both known and unknown age, are indicated by solid (males) and dashed (females) lines (males: <i>SVL</i>_<i>t</i> = 740 − ((740 − 44)<i>e</i>^{−0.0026<i>t</i>}); females: <i>SVL</i>_<i>t</i> = 1018 − ((1018 − 51)<i>e</i>^{−0.0017<i>t</i>})). Because temperate zone snakes do not grow during hibernation, age is measured in growth days, an estimate of age in days excluding hibernation (see text).