Re: Thamnophis species question Activity levels and aggression patterns of males vs. females might be an easier study unless you're trying to center your thesis around this question. Some people say females are more active/aggressive, and others say males are. I think the variations in their observations are a factor of sample size, though. The heritibility of defensive mechanisms would almost certainly be confounded by the size of the individual performing the defensive act, their recent diet, time since previous musking, physiological state, etc. Of course, these are all testable, but it's not the hypothesis you proposed. To do the "heritibility" study, you'll have to quantify frequency of defensive mechanism for several prospective parents, and I suspect these will vary along a continuum. If this is simply a study for a single class, remember that the gestation time for a garter is approx 100 days. Just a few things to consider. Rick
The nice answer!