URINARY SYSTEM

The paired kidneys are located in the dorsocaudal abdomen with the right kidney being more cranial than the left (Figs. 5.1 and 5.26). They are brown in color, elongated, have about 25-30 lobes, and stretch for 10 to 15 percent of the total snout-to-vent length (Bellairs 1969d). The ureters are elongated, with the right longer than the left, and enter the cloaca dorsally where they are distinct from the vas deferens or oviduct. In some species they may dilate slightly at distal end to form a small urinary reservoir. There is no bladder (Fox 1977).

Male snakes have a sexual segment to the kidney. This provides a secretion rich in protein and lipids, which is used as a copulatory plug. This plug blocks the terminal oviduct for 2-4 days after copulation.