Females have total lengths from 96 to 244 mm. (mean, 173.3; N = 79). One
female (KU 83480) measuring 244 mm. may be the longest specimen known
(Conant, 1958, reports the longest as 9-1/8 inches--approximately 232
mm.). Males have total lengths from 96 to 215 mm. (mean, 162.4; N =
109). Females have tail lengths from 16 to 50 mm. (mean, 34.6; N = 79),
and males have tail lengths from 21 to 53 mm. (mean, 37.8; N = 109).
The ratio of tail length to total length in females is from 0.17 to 0.22
(mean, 0.20; N = 79); in males it is from 0.21 to 0.27 (mean, 0.23; N =
109; Fig. 1). Juveniles (those less than 125 mm. in total length
according to Force, 1935: tables 1 and 2) have proportionally shorter
tails than do adults; the ratio of tail length divided by total length
is 0.17-0.21 (mean, 0.18; N = 14) in females and 0.21-0.23 (mean, 0.22;
N = 16) in males. Adult females (125 mm. or more in total length) have
ratios from 0.18 to 0.22 (mean, 0.20; N = 65) and adult males have
ratios from 0.21 to 0.27 (mean, 0.23; N = 93).
[Illustration: FIG. 1. Ratio of tail length to total length in females
and males of _T. gracilis_.]
Of the 246 specimens examined, 58 have incomplete tails. Of these 58
specimens, six had freshly broken tails, so we assume that 52 (21.1% of
the 246) have incomplete tails resulting from natural causes; the
remaining six specimens could have had their tails broken at or soon
after capture, assuming that none of the snakes was retained in
captivity for an extended period.