Reproduction

Mating:
Pit vipers reproduce sexually by means of internal fertilization.  To do this the male penetrates the female with the hemipenes organ at the base of his tail.  No specific rating ritual has been seen between the males and females, though males are known to sometimes fight for the right to mate with a female.  Snakes are solitary animals, so the male leaves soon after mating and does not share any responsibility with the young.

The miracle of birth:
    Pit Vipers are classified as ovoviviparous.  This means the female produces eggs, but they hatch inside the female and thus she gives birth to live young.  This is unusual in the Reptile class of organisms, a feature unique to certain families of the Squamata order.
    The litter size of the pit vipers varies, but is typically 4 to 5 young.  Variation in litter size can be caused by both genetic and environmental factors.  Studies have shown that females with a larger mass and more energy reserves will give birth to a larger litter.  Likewise, in regions where resources are plentiful, larger litter sizes have been observed then in regions suffering from drought or other environmental factors.

Young:
    Young pit vipers are around 18cm in length and tend to exhibit brighter color scales, especially at the tail.  The brighter colors are used to attract frogs and other prey.  The young are also venomous and able to hunt on their own, and are therefore independent of the mother, who leaves soon after birth.

 

 

                                                   See what kind of interactions the Bamboo pit vipers have
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