Live birth is often seen in snakes that live in water or in trees where there may not be a good place to lay eggs. Snakes do not require prenatal care as mammals do. At birth, snakes are ready to take care of themselves. Most, but not all, female snakes abandon their eggs once they are laid. Female t hread snakes, certain pythons, and king cobras have been seen protecting their eggs.
All snakes are meat eaters and all have developed clever ways to catch and kill other animals.
Snakes that eat larger and potentially more dangerous prey must kill it before eating. Many snakes such as boas and pythons kill by squeezing and constricting their prey. When a snake's powerful coils wrap around an animal, its lungs get compressed and it dies. Some snakes inject venom into an animal to kill it. Less than one-fourth of all snake species are venomous.