Credit to Stewart Macdonald

Reproduction

          The eastern brown snake reproduces strictly sexually. It has been noted that the males have been seen in mating rituals fighting with one another by tangling up with each other and so called “wrestling” for over a half hour to see who can mate with the female. Once the male and female have begun mating, they can remain locked together for 4 hours. The female can store the sperm for many weeks before actually laying the eggs. Females lay on average 15 eggs per clutch, but could be as high as 30 eggs. The gestation period all depends on the incubation temperature, it could take as little as 36 days all the way to 95 days if it is colder. The females are not limited to one clutch per year, this means they can reproduce very fast and replenish the population if it deteriorates.

          The Eastern Brown Snake becomes sexually mature at around 31 months of age, and has been recorded to live in captivity up to seven years. This gives it the possibility to reproduce for about four years which can lead to dozens of offspring per one snake.

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