<P> Although many kinds of snakes and other reptiles are oviparous ( lay eggs ) , rattlesnakes are ovoviviparous ( give birth to live young after carrying eggs inside ) . The female produces the ova ( `` eggs '' ) in her ovaries , after which they pass through the body cavity and into one of her two oviducts . The ova are arranged in a continuous chain in a coiled section of the oviduct , known as the `` tuba '' . Male rattlesnakes have sexual organs known as hemipenes , located in the base of the tail . The hemipenis is retracted inside of the body when mating is not occurring . Females can store semen for months in internal recesses known as spermathecae , which permits them to mate during the fall , but not fertilize the ova until the following spring . The Arizona black rattlesnake ( C. oreganus cerberus ) , has been observed to exhibit complex social behavior reminiscent of that in mammals . Females often remain with their young in nests for several weeks , and mothers have been observed cooperatively parenting their broods . </P>
<P> Although many kinds of snakes and other reptiles are oviparous ( lay eggs ) , rattlesnakes are ovoviviparous ( give birth to live young after carrying eggs inside ) . The female produces the ova ( `` eggs '' ) in her ovaries , after which they pass through the body cavity and into one of her two oviducts . The ova are arranged in a continuous chain in a coiled section of the oviduct , known as the `` tuba '' . Male rattlesnakes have sexual organs known as hemipenes , located in the base of the tail . The hemipenis is retracted inside of the body when mating is not occurring . Females can store semen for months in internal recesses known as spermathecae , which permits them to mate during the fall , but not fertilize the ova until the following spring . The Arizona black rattlesnake ( C. oreganus cerberus ) , has been observed to exhibit complex social behavior reminiscent of that in mammals . Females often remain with their young in nests for several weeks , and mothers have been observed cooperatively parenting their broods . </P>
do rattlesnakes lay eggs or give birth to live young
do rattlesnakes lay eggs or give birth to live young
give birth to live young
give birth to live young