What kind of fertilization do snakes have?

Snakes, like most reptiles, have internal fertilization. This means that the male snake inserts his hemipenis (a specialized reproductive organ) into the female's cloaca to deposit sperm.

Here's a breakdown:

* Internal Fertilization: The male's sperm fertilizes the female's eggs inside her body, as opposed to external fertilization where the eggs are fertilized outside the female's body.

* Hemipenis: Snakes have two hemipenes, which are paired organs stored inside the cloaca. Only one hemipenis is used at a time for mating.

* Cloaca: This is a common opening for the reproductive, urinary, and digestive tracts in snakes.

After internal fertilization, the female snake lays eggs (oviparous), or gives birth to live young (viviparous), depending on the species.