Small male body size in garter snake depends on testes

In the red-sided garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis) adult females are larger than adult males; this difference is apparent within 3 wk of birth, a time coinciding with high circulating levels of androgens. To study the ontogeny and regulation of this sexual dimorphism, male neonates were either castrated, castrated and given Silastic capsules containing testosterone or estradiol, or given a sham operation at 8, 9, or 10 wk of age. Female neonates were either given a Silastic capsule containing testosterone or dihydrotestosterone or given a sham operation at 8, 9, 10, or 14 wk of age. The sex difference in body size and growth rate in neonates was abolished by castration; the pattern of growth of castrated males was similar to sham-operated females. Androgens in the amounts administered failed to reverse the effects of castration, because castrated male and female neonates receiving exogenous androgens grew at the same rate as did sham-operated females. Males castrated as adults grow larger than adult males given a sham operation, indicating the inhibitory role of the testes on body size exists after sexual maturity. Treatment of adult males with testosterone, however, prevented the increase in body size after castration, suggesting that the mechanism regulating weight gain in the garter snake depends on gonadal androgen.