Do Snakes Lay Eggs?

The answer is: some do and some do not. About 70 percent of snake species lay eggs, while the remaining 30 percent give live birth. Whether a snake lays eggs or delivers live young depends on its species, evolutionary history, and the environment its ancestors adapted to.

Egg Laying Snakes (Oviparous)

The majority of snake species are oviparous, meaning they lay eggs that develop and hatch outside the mother’s body. Some of the most familiar egg laying snakes include pythons (ball pythons, Burmese pythons, reticulated pythons), colubrids (corn snakes, king snakes, milk snakes, rat snakes), cobras and mambas, and most sea snakes that come ashore to breed.

Snake eggs look quite different from bird eggs. They have soft, leathery shells rather than hard, brittle ones. The shells are flexible and slightly sticky, which helps them cling together in a clutch. Most snake eggs are white or off white and elongated rather than oval.

After laying, some species (like pythons) stay with their eggs and incubate them by coiling around the clutch. Others (like corn snakes and king snakes) lay their eggs in a warm, humid spot and leave them to develop on their own. For more on egg production numbers, see our article on how many eggs snakes lay.

Live Bearing Snakes (Ovoviviparous and Viviparous)

About 30 percent of snake species give birth to live young instead of laying eggs. These snakes are classified as either ovoviviparous or viviparous.

Ovoviviparous snakes technically produce eggs, but those eggs develop and hatch inside the mother’s body. The babies are born live, still enclosed in thin membrane sacs that they quickly break free from. Most “live bearing” snakes fall into this category, including rattlesnakes, copperheads, cottonmouths, boa constrictors, and garter snakes.

Truly viviparous snakes nourish their developing young through a placenta like structure, similar to how mammals do it. This is rarer in snakes but has been documented in a few species.

Why Do Some Snakes Give Live Birth

Live birth in snakes is generally an adaptation to cooler climates. When a mother carries her developing young inside her body, she can regulate their temperature by basking in the sun. This is a huge advantage in environments where eggs left in a nest might get too cold for proper development.

This is why you will notice that many live bearing snake species are found in cooler climates or at higher elevations. Garter snakes, for example, have one of the widest geographic ranges of any snake in North America and are found as far north as Canada. Their ability to give live birth is one of the reasons they can thrive in these cooler environments.

What Do Snake Eggs Look Like

If you find eggs outdoors and wonder if they are snake eggs, there are some clues to look for. Snake eggs are typically white or cream colored with a soft, leathery texture. They are elongated (more oval than round) and usually about the size of a large grape to a small chicken egg depending on the species. They are often stuck together in a clump because of the sticky coating on the shells.

Snake eggs can be confused with turtle eggs or lizard eggs. Turtle eggs tend to be rounder and have harder shells. Lizard eggs are similar to snake eggs but are usually smaller. If you are unsure what kind of eggs you have found, leave them where they are and contact a local wildlife authority for identification.