Everyone knows turtles lay eggs. Picture a sea turtle digging a nest on a beach, and weeks later a hundred hatchlings scrambling for the waves. But not all reptiles lay eggs. More than one in five give birth to live babies. There are two basic ways, with lots of variety inside each. Oviparous (oh-VIP-uh-rus) means egg-laying. The mother puts her eggs in a nest or another safe spot and the babies hatch later. Birds, turtles, ratsnakes, kingsnakes, geckos, and anoles all do this. Viviparous (vye-VIP-uh-rus) means live-bearing. The babies grow inside the mother, getting food from her body through a structure like a placenta, and are born fully formed.
This lesson is part of Certified Junior Herpetologist. Enrollment is self-paced, with no deadline to finish (about 30 hours).
