When people refer to a “baby snake,” they are using a general, non-scientific term. Unlike terms such as “cub” or “chick,” snake terminology is descriptive, reflecting the specific biological process of its birth. The precise name depends entirely on how the young animal entered the world, requiring knowledge of whether it hatched from an egg laid externally or was born live.
Official Names for Young Snakes
The most specific and accurate term for a snake that hatches from an egg laid outside the mother’s body is a hatchling. This name is used exclusively for the young of oviparous, or egg-laying, species. A hatchling is a fully formed miniature of its parent, emerging from a leathery shell after external incubation.
The term neonate is the more accurate biological designation for any freshly born or hatched snake. Derived from the Latin for “newborn,” a neonate is typically considered to be a snake in its first few weeks of life, often up until its first skin shed. This term is scientifically precise and is used regardless of whether the snake came from an egg or was born live, though it is most commonly applied to those born via live birth.
A third, non-scientific term is snakelet, which serves as a general, common-language catch-all for any small or young snake. While acceptable in casual conversation, this word lacks the biological specificity of both hatchling and neonate. For instance, a small garter snake is a snakelet, but a scientist would correctly refer to it as a neonate.
How Birth Method Influences Terminology
The reproductive method of a snake determines whether its young are called hatchlings or neonates, reflecting three distinct strategies found in the order Squamata. The majority of snake species, approximately 70%, are oviparous, meaning the female lays eggs that develop and hatch outside her body. Species like Pythons, Cobras, and Corn Snakes are examples of oviparous snakes, and their offspring are hatchlings.
The remaining species are live-bearing, producing young that are always correctly classified as neonates. This live-bearing group is split into two methods: viviparous and ovoviviparous. Viviparous snakes, such as Boa Constrictors and Green Anacondas, nourish their embryos internally through a placenta-like connection, similar to mammals.
Ovoviviparous snakes, which include most Vipers and Rattlesnakes, also give birth to live young, but the process is different. In this strategy, the egg develops and hatches inside the female’s body. The young emerge live immediately after breaking through the internal egg membrane. This means that if the young emerges directly from the mother, it is a neonate, regardless of whether an egg was involved internally.
Life Immediately Following Birth
Whether a young snake is a hatchling or a neonate, it is born with a high degree of independence. Parental care is rare among snakes; the mother typically departs immediately after laying eggs or giving birth, leaving her offspring to fend for themselves. Young snakes must begin hunting and securing their own food sources almost instantly to survive.
Venomous neonates are born with fully functional venom glands and fangs, making them dangerous from the moment of birth. While the myth persists that baby venomous snakes are more dangerous because they cannot control their venom injection, this is largely inaccurate. They simply have a smaller total volume of venom than an adult, though their bite contains the same complex toxins.
In some species, such as the Russell’s viper, neonate venom has been shown to be more potent against mammalian prey than that of an adult, reflecting an early diet of lizards and small reptiles. The young snake’s first task is typically its initial skin-shedding process, called ecdysis. This first shed usually occurs within five to twelve days of hatching or birth, often before the snake attempts its first meal.