A female Madagascar tree boa is ovoviviparous. It does not lay its eggs. It keeps them and incubates them within its own body and the babies are born live.
A single female can give birth to up to 12 young at a time, each about 38 cm in length.
When a female is carrying eggs, its skin colour darkens. This adaptation provides increased heat absorption for the developing young.
After giving birth, the colour returns to normal as soon as it next sheds its skin. The newlyborn babies are a bright red, probably as a warning to predators. |
