Breeding Behavior and Reproduction
After brumation the Eastern Diamondback male will track a female by following a scent trail she leaves behind. This trail is invisible to us, but with the help of the snake’s Jacobsen organ, pherimones left behind are picked up and a trail is followed until the female is discovered. Sometimes there are more than one male following the same scent trail. When approached by another male, the rival will instigate a courtship behavior known as combat. The two males trying to compete for the female will begin to entwine their bodies in a attempt to push the other to the ground, thus defeated. This behavior may last several hours, and will result in the stronger, larger male pushing the weaker snake to the ground and driving him off. Survival of the fittest, resulting in the best genes being carried on with the successful breeding of the lucky female. This selective breeding ensures that only the strongest males will reproduce in the wild and ensure a good gene pool.
Breeding behavior may be observed in the Spring and Fall. After sucessfully breeding, a female will store the sperm until she ovulates. At this time the fat cells will begin to develope into a fetus and develope internally for about four to six months until the neonates are birthed from the female in a embryonic sac, which is thin like a membrane. The newborns then push through this membrane and into their new world taking their first breath of air. Eastern Diamondback babies are then left on their own to survive. Occasionally neonates are observed near the mother sometime after their birth. It is not clear exactly how much time passes in the wild before they disperse, but thought to be sometime after their first shedding of skin(7-10 days). Below are photographs of newborns showing the membrane sacs after birth, and two videos showing two males combating in captivity and the copulation of the lucky female.
Two males combating…I took this video in the 2007 breeding season. They are combating for a female.
And the successful male breeding a female. The male is the albino.
A juvenile Eastern Diamondback from Jans Sievert in Germany.
A Eastern Diamondback with new born young, still in their embryonic sacs. Eight neonates were born at this time, four more followed later. - Photo by Paul R. Moody
Birth of a Eastern Diamondback - Photo by Paul R. Moody
The following several pictures are of Eastern Diamondbacks copulating in captivity. Photos by Paul R. Moody.
The following series of photos were taken by Zach Orr at his facility where he keeps easterns in a outdoor enclosure in a natural setup. There are three male easterns combating for the right to breed a nearby female.
