So what snakes give birth to live young instead of laying eggs like their cousin snake? Snakes that give birth to live descendants include boas, vipers, and sea snakes. These snakes are known as viviparous or ovoviviparous snakes and they give birth to live babies or incubate the eggs within themselves just before giving birth.
Breed snakes that give birth alive
There are some species that give birth to their young, including the boa, viper and sea snake species.
Boa Snakes
The boa species would include breeds such as the boa constrictor, anacondas, and all other types of boas and constrictor snakes, as well. However, pythons are not a viviparous snake! They are the only exception to the type of calving of this breed, which is viviparous.
Viper Snakes
Viper snakes (also known as pit vipers) include breeds such as rattlesnakes, cottonmouths, cerasts, and all other types of pit vipers. There are many types of vipers that I cannot reasonably include in a huge list, but snakes that have tusks, diamond or triangular heads, poisonous glands, and severed or tilted eyes are generally pitvipers and tend to give birth to their young. I would recommend and even encourage looking for some of these types of snakes.
Sea Snakes
Sea snakes are a massive species with hundreds and thousands of types of snakes that fall into this category. Some of these snakes, however, are the horned sea serpent, the stepped band snake, the olive, the turquoise, the spectacled one, the elegant one, the beak, the yellow-lipped and yellow-bellied snake, the viperine, the of black band and the one of spine.
There are hundreds more breeds of sea snakes, but we’ll have to save that long list for another day.
I encourage you to further investigate any of these different breeds of viviparous snakes, because they are all incredible creatures to learn from. For now, here is a more detailed list of snakes that give birth alive, and how many baby snakes give birth on average:
Average Rattlesnakes Pit Serpents (of all types): 10
Ball Python Boa Constrictor: 6
Anaconoda Boa Constrictor: 80 (depending)
Horns Sea Serpent: 10
Olive Marine Snake Serpent: 2
Types of births for snakes
Snakes have three different types of birth that correlate with different species. These types of birth are oviparous, viviparous, and ovoviviparous. These crazy birth type names basically mean, in order, egg birth, live birth, and partial live birth.
Oviparous birth (also known as hatching from an egg) is the type of birth most commonly associated with snakes. In this method of hatching from the breeding process, the snake lays a series of eggs.
These eggs should be incubated for a few months until they are ready to hatch. When this time comes, the snakes come out of the eggshells and are free to live their lives.
Viviparous Birth
Viviparous birth (also known as live birth) is the same type of birth that humans have. In this type of birth, the female snake holds the young in placental sacs. Or yolks within it until it is ready to hatch.
The mother feeds the young while they are still inside her. When the time comes, the snake will give birth to live snakes that are ready to go out alone. This type of birth is super rare among snakes.
Ovoviviparous Birth
The birth of ovoviviparous (also known as partial live birth) is quite unique. They’re often confused or considered live birth. This unusual birth process is when the mother has clear or invisible eggs inside her that support the offspring.
When offspring emerge, the remains of the eggs are left inside the mother. So this method is often confused with that of live births.
How do snakes raise their young after their respective types of birth?
Snakes that give birth to live young, including the ovovivar type of calving, will send their young by themselves. This happens the second they are born.
This is basically because baby snakes are already fully developed. They’re also functionally capable of taking care of themselves, such as rattlesnakes.
On the other hand, oviparous snakes, or egg laying snakes, have to take care of their “young” for a time after laying the eggs. Snake eggs can be easily eaten and snatched by predators. o these types of snakes have to watch over and protect their eggs until baby snakes hatch from their shells.
After the baby snakes hatch from their shells, they are dispatched on their own, as the live ones are found when they leave the bat.
Essentially, once any snake has been born or has been bathed, depending on the type of birth, they are all shipped on their own.
The difference between the way snakes are ‘raised’, or the lack of them, is the way children are nurtured, either from inside or outside the mother figure.
Related questions:
Are live-giving snakes considered mammals? Viviparous or ovoviparous snakes are considered reptiles and not mammals. The difference in distinguishing a mammal or reptile is if the animal is cold or warm blooded.
How many young can a snake give birth to? Snakes can have one to 150 young at a time. The number of hatchlings simply depends on the type and breed of the snake. The number will vary with each type.
What are baby snakes called? What is a group of snakes called? The shanks of snakes, or baby snakes, are considered to be snakes, hatchlings, or hatching snakes. A group of snakes is considered a nest.
Do snake hatchlings stay with their mother after birth? After birth or hatching, snake hatchlings begin their lives on their own because they are fully functional and able to survive without the need to be supported by their maternal figure.
Interested in learning more? Click here for FAQs about snakes!
