How Do Snakes Lay Eggs?

Here is another request from the grandkids. Well, at least one of them. I’m not sure everyone will like it. I’ve always liked snakes. My wife? Not so much. That’s why I have to keep them in my classroom. My students seem to like it. When things get boring, we can just feed a snake. There are quite a few of the staff that tend to avoid visiting. Oh well, their loss.

The question of “how do snakes lay eggs” is not as straight forward as it seems. First, not every snakes lay eggs. There are snakes that give birth to live young. The baby snakes are ready to go from the start. There are 2 kinds of “live bearers”, viviparous & oviparous. Viviparous snakes do not have eggs at all. The common garter snake and ocean-going sea snakes are examples of viviparous snakes. Oviparous snakes have eggs that hatch inside the mother shortly before birth. These include vipers, rattlesnakes, boas, and anacondas. https://wildlifeqld.com.au/viviparous-oviparous-snake-egg/ Many of these snakes live in colder climates and it is thought this can give the babies a better head start.

About 70% of snakes lay eggs. Some common egg layers are pythons, cobras, and the common rat snake. The eggs usually take about 60 days to hatch. The babies are born with a special “egg tooth” that they use to cut open the rubbery egg shell. It falls off shortly after birth.

So how do they lay their eggs? Underneath a snake you will notice that the scales are much larger than on their back. An inch or two from the tip of their tail, depending on whether it’s a male or female, you will notice a spot where the scales are different. This is called the vent. It’s used both for eliminating waste and for laying eggs. Chicken have the same kind of structure that they use to lay eggs also. Live babies also are born through the vent.

Many snakes lay their eggs in the leaf litter and leave them alone. Others can make nests and stay with them until they hatch. Mother pythons wrap around their eggs and can even warm up their eggs by shivering so they won’t get too cold.

Snake are pretty cool and fun to look at, but unless you are with someone with experience, it’s better to just watch them from a distance. Some snake can be cranky when they first wake up!

Here’s a video of a bay corn snake hatching. 

Hope you liked it!

Love Papaw.