Reproduction

Male-male interactions include pinning of the other's head and anterior trunk to the ground.

Larger males are more likely to mate with females than smaller males. Once a dominant male is

established, , a bond between the male and the female begins. One of these behaviors includes

"mate-guarding". Generally the couple will

stay in close proximity to each other (if one

is not coiled on top of the other) for several

days at a time.

More often mating occurs between the

months of September and January. Mating

rituals can take as long as several hours to

complete, once completed the female stores

the sperm from her male until approximately the following April. Once the embryos begin to

develop the female will usually lay in the sun in order to expedite the development process.

Females usually give birth to about 4 to 8 offspring between the months of July and September.

The newborns remain close to their mother for several days or until they complete their first

skin shed.