Vocabulary Words
- Ovoviviparous – an animal that keeps its fertilized eggs inside the body while the embryo
develops. The offspring hatch and leave the body at the same time. - Pit vipers – snakes that have holes, or pits, behind their nostrils that can sense heat. This helps
them to discriminate between possible prey, which would be warm, and a non-living object,
such as a rock. - Jacobson’s organ (also called vomeronasal organ) – an organ of chemoreception that is part of
the olfactory system (sense of smell). It is very well developed in snakes and helps them hunt
and track their prey
Fun Facts
- Female copperheads in captivity can sometimes reproduce asexually (without a male).