General Features

Our webcam had been monitoring the pregnant snake since June, from its home at the Birmingham Nature Centre.

Over the weekend she finally gave birth to two offspring, although unfortunately one of them was stillborn.

Basking baby snake

I popped along to have look at the new arrival and meet its keeper Adam Radovanovic.

Baby Snake

The length of its tail is usually a good indicator to the sex of a snake. The male has longer spurs on the underbelly of the point. But, it's too early to tell the sex of our baby snake yet!

The baby snake - who's about 12 inches long - will stay in the nature centre, where it will grow anywhere from five to seven feet in length.

Within hours of being born, the infant tucked into its first meal - a baby mouse!

Baby snake

Meanwhile, mum is doing fine and has been reunited with dad mimicking natural conditions in the wild where female snakes immediately abandon their young after birth.

Endangered species

Dumeril's boas are a critically endangered species. Adam has to let the Convention of International Trade of Endangered Species know about the birth. They keep a record of all official breeding of animals classified as endangered.

The Birmingham Nature Centre has about 70 baby snakes in total. To breed them Adam keeps partners away from each other and then reintroduces them, experimenting with different temperatures and humidity.

Proud mother - star of snake cam

The pregnant snake is kept in a basking spot which is controlled by a thermostat to maintain body temperature as the embryos are developing.

Sad news

Unfortunately the baby Dumeril boa did not survive.

New to the webcam...

At the nature centre, fertilisation rates are high for Jamaican Boas and another female is pregnant. You can now see her on our webcam!