Unlike endothermic animals, a snake's food digestion rate is influenced by external temperatures. How they breed Snakes reproduce in two different ways. Some species give birth to live offspring, while others lay eggs. Pythons 'incubate' and protect their eggs by coiling their bodies around the eggs almost continuously until they hatch. They are able to control temperature to a certain degree by shivering.
Young snakes fend for themselves from birth.
Depending on the species, each parent snake may produce between 10 and 100 young in one breeding season. Many young are lost to predators such as birds, lizards and other snakes. Snakes play an important role in many different types of ecosystems. However, their numbers are generally declining. Many harmless snakes, and even legless lizards, are killed unnecessarily in this way.