black racer snake development facts
A Juvenile Black Racer Snake
- The typical Black Racer Snake spends 3 months as an egg
- A female Black Racer is sexually mature in its 2nd year or 3rd year
- A male Black Racer is sexually mature in its 1st year or 2nd year
- The average lifespan of a Black Racer Snake is 10 years
- The Black Racer Snake develops in an egg and then hatches from that egg as a fully functional snake that is usually 39cm long (Adults can grow up to 190cm)
- Black Racer Snake have sexual intercourse to reproduce
- Black Racer Snakes can have up to 32 offspring
- Black Racer Snakes take care of their eggs and leave about a week after the eggs have hatched
- Black Racer Snakes are aggressive during mating season, so do not approach them then! Sources: (1)(2)
Nest sites
Black Racer Snakes keep their eggs hidden and warm by putting them in rotten logs or by burying them under leaves, dirt or sand. They even make their nests in man made objects such as a crevice in a stone wall.
Sexual vs. asexual
Reproducing sexually (picture on the left) means an organism needs the help of a mate to produce offspring. Sexual relationships are usually between a female and a male and it is how a Black Racer Snake reproduces. Reproducing asexually (picture on the right) means an offspring doesn't need a mate to reproduce and it can make offspring using only itself. It usually involves doubling or growing an offspring off of the organism body.
black racer snake sexual organs
Snake sexual organs (click on it for full picture)
The snakes sex organs are located between the tail and the Ventricle Scales, underneath the Anal Pallat. Both female and male snakes havetwo sex organs that are used in sexual intercourse, with the male giving the sperm to the female using its pair of sexual organs by inserting his sex organs into hers. The male Snake uses his two Hemipenis's to give sperm to the female, sperm is made in the Testes.The testes are located right next to the intestine. The female's sperm enters her body through the Vagina Penile Pocket. The Cloaca is where the eggs are fertilized and is where all the sexual activity in the snake happens. (3)
video: A breeder inserts sperm into a snake
(an in-depth look at a snakes sex organs)
Gametes
The Black Racer Snake is fertilized very similar to humans. The male injects sperm into the female which pass through the oviducts to the uterus. There the sperm meet up with a couple egg cells which a few lucky sperm out of millions connect with the eggs using there receptors and are then excepted into the egg where its is fertilized. It will now mature in the egg and will grow more complex and eventually be ejected out of the female Black Racer Snake in a hard egg shell. There it will mature even more until it is ready to hatch and emerge from the egg as a baby Black racer snake.
Reproduction facts
A Snake egg
- Snakes have 74 chromosomes, 37 (haploid) sex chromosomes
- After the male gets sperm into the female, multiple eggs are fertilized by the sperm internally
- The eggs are nurtured internally until they are strong enough to withstand nature and are then "pushed out" by the female. There is a video of this happening below
development
video: Corn Snake giving birth to fertile eggs
Sources
(1) http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Coluber_constrictor/
(2)http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/flgard/msg0510013932328.html
(3)http://homepage.ntlworld.com/chris.ric/Rat%20Snakes/Rat%20Snakes%20page%203.htm
http://www.biology4kids.com/files/cell2_meiosis.html
http://www.biology4kids.com/files/cell2_mitosis.html