Red-bellied snakes
Posted by Kathy Lingo on November 3, 2005
Q: My son is doing a report on this snake and I can't find anywhere where it tells you - how do the female red-bellied snakes care for and feed their young?
Also - How long do the young stay with their mothers before they go out on their own?
State: Maryland
A: You can't find out about Red-bellied parental care because they don't provide any care after birth! Once the babies are born, they are on their own and must find their own food and stay away from predators - mom doesn't help at all.
Your son may want to discuss the fact that these snakes are ovoviviparous in his report. Some snakes,not all, like the Red-bellied, retain their eggs within their bodies and then either give birth to live young or lay their eggs immediately before hatching. While the eggs are within the mother's body, she does not provide any nourishment to the developing young. I suppose if you wanted to, you could say that this is a "form of parental care", although this happens BEFORE the young are born/hatch, not after.
Hope this helps. Good luck on the report.
John Wiessinger ( November 3, 2005)