Jim Hudson, age 10, of Cheraw, South Carolina, for his question:

Is it true that rattlesnakes bear live babies?

Most reptiles lay soft shelled eggs and leave them to hatch in the sun warmed earth. The giant sea going turtles come ashore only to bury clutches of their soft shelled reptile eggs. The alligator buries her reptile eggs under a high pile of leafy debris and stands guard until the youngsters hatch. Snakes are reptiles and most snakes also lay soft reptile eggs. A few snakes break the egg laying reptile rule. So far as we know, all the boa snakes bear live babies.

It is hard to guess from this jumble of 'facts whether rattlesnakes lay eggs or bear their young alive. The answer to your question is yes, all our deadly rattlers give birth to live babies. The female may bear as many as 12 babies, one after another. The birth may take several hours and afterwards the snake seems exhausted. She is not a motherly type and soon loses interest in her offspring. In fact, should she chance to meet one in a week or so, she might decide to swallow the little fellow for her dinner.