Although snakes have no external ears, they are not deaf. They can detect airborne sounds in a limited range, though they probably rely on hearing less than other senses. They may not have legs, but snakes move quite well. They can navigate on land, in water, and even in the air. Some snakes, like certain desert species, can only move in one manner.
Most species can switch from one type of movement to another as the surface requires.
Scales also allow snakes to move. Most snakes push their large belly scales along uneven surfaces, thereby moving their bodies forward in a series of waves. Reproduction Starting Out Snakes reproduce either by laying eggs or giving live birth. Egg-laying species lay leathery eggs, often in rotting leaves or in old logs, where they can be kept moist and warm. Newborn snakes hatch by cutting through the eggshell with their sharp eggtooth, which is lost soon after birth.