Although some snakes do lay eggs, pit vipers such as the massasauga
are “ovoviviparous,” the young are delivered live after hatching from
internal membranous (thin tissue) eggs. This process is known as
parturition. Six to twenty young, approximately 20 cm long, are born in
late July or August. Newly born snakes may remain beneath the protective
cover at the birthing site for four or five days.
The young are on their own, receiving no
assistance from the adults, as
they begin their life in the wild. |
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A
female rattlesnake gives birth in an
exhibit at the Toronto Zoo. |
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