The South African python snake, the first known oviparous snake that cares for its young

The South African python, the first known oviparous snake that cares for its young

Care of the young
The South African female python not only incubates its eggs; after the hatching of the same remains in the nest taking care of their young

This protective behavior of females towards newborns is a great effort for them: they just eat and lose a large part of their body mass

The South African python, the first known oviparous snake that cares for its young

The South African python (Python natalensis) is the first known oviparous (egg-laying) snake that cares for its young, according to a seven-year study conducted by Professor Graham Alexander, of Wits University (South Africa), and published last week in Journal of Zoology. Maternal care is also observed in the rattlesnake, for example, but this snake is ovoviviparous: the eggs remain inside the body of the female until the embryo is fully developed. The South African female python not only incubates its eggs; After the hatching of the same remains in the nest taking care of their young for about two weeks.






This protective behavior of females towards newborns is a great effort for them: they only eat during the reproductive cycle (more than six months) and lose 40% of their body mass. They also turn black during breeding, a mechanism of adaptation with which they probably increase the heat of their body while sunbathing. "The South African pythons are not able to heat their eggs by raising their metabolism, they do so by sunbathing near the entrance to the burrow until the body temperature reaches almost 40 ° C and then they curl around the eggs to warm them, "explains Alexander.