As per data, majority of the snakes lay eggs. In case of ovoviviparous snakes, the eggs hatch inside the female body, thus delivery of young ones takes place. The first refers to egg laying species, while the second type gives birth to young ones. A female snake can mate with the same or different male several times during the mating season.Ĭoming to the reproduction part, there are oviparous, viviparous, and ovoviviparous snakes. Mating may last from a few minutes to several hours. In some snake species, fine spines are present on the hemipenes for holding the female during copulation. The male snake then deposits the sperms by inserting one of its two hemipenes (small sacs on the underside of the tail) into the cloaca of the female snake. Very rarely, male snakes indulge into fierce battle for getting the female snake.ĭuring the courtship, the male snake lifts the tail of the female with the help of its own tail for copulation. A male snake after getting the signal follows the female for courtship. The females secrete pheromones and leave behind as they move, so as to attract the males. In colder regions, spring is the mating season whereas, snakes can undergo mating in any season in case of tropical regions. Depending upon the climatic conditions, the mating season of snakes vary. It is very difficult to differentiate a male snake from a female by means of physical traits. Similar to other reptiles, sexual dimorphism in snakes is almost absent. Their loosely articulated skulls, overlapping scales, and flexible lower jaw for swallowing their prey are some distinctive traits. However, unlike other legless lizards, they lack movable eyelids and external ears. As per evidences, these legless, elongated reptiles evolve either from the burrowing lizard or water lizard. They belong to the order Squamata and suborder Serpentes. As of now, about 2,900 species of snakes have been identified. Snakes are commonly found all over the world, except in Antarctica.
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