Is a snake giving birth a mammal?
No, snakes are reptiles. Giving birth to live young does not make
an animal a mammal, and NOT giving birth to live young doesn't
mean an animal ISN'T a mammal - the platypus and echidnas are
mammals, and they lay eggs. Mammals are warm-blooded, have
some hair (though very little in some species), have a single lower
jawbone, and, most importantly, feed their young with milk. The
glands which produce milk are called mammary glands, which is
where the name mammal comes from. Reptiles, like snakes, are
cold-blooded, have no hair, have more than one bone making up the
lower jaw, and have no mammary glands.
Many snakes are oviparous, meaning that they lay eggs. Those
which produce live young, like boas and rattlesnakes, do so
because they have retained their eggs inside their bodies, without
shells, until the young are fully developed, when they emerge from
the mother. This is called being ovoviviparous - the young derive
nourishment from yolks, not from the mother's body as in placental
mammals (which is called being viviparous).
So if I'm reading this correctly there are only 2 types of birthing snakes. I read somewhere that 30% gave live birth with no egg. I guess maybe I read it wrong. In actuality, there are snakes that lay eggs (warmer regions/oviparous), and snakes that retain the egg until the eggs hatch inside and the snakes birth live young,(colder regions/ovoviviparous=a combination of Oviparous and Viviparous)? I didn't even know there was any such a thing with snakes. Always thought they laid eggs! I guess, if you think about it they all produce eggs, they just skip they laying part to protect the egg from a cold ground. Very interesting to know. Thanks for theasy "Boost in Knowledge"!
ReplyDeleteReally great information about Snakes. I never knew this. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteHuman females also produces eggs.
ReplyDelete