BY KIM ATIENZA
You might wonder: How do reptiles, like snakes and lizards, reproduce? Have you ever seen two snakes, or two crocodiles engage in sex?
Most reptiles reproduce sexually and have internal fertilization, according to Google.
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Did you know that among reptiles, males have one or two penises that pass sperm from their cloaca to the cloaca of a female.
Fertilization occurs within the cloaca, and fertilized eggs leave the female’s body through the opening in the cloaca.
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Ano naman itong cloaca?
A cloaca is an opening through which urine and feces are eliminated in birds, reptiles, amphibians, and a few branches of the mammal family tree.
It also serves a reproductive function like the vagina in females of these species and also performs the function of sperm ejaculation in males of some species.
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I saw turtles laying their eggs on a beach in Africa in a film I watched recently. Do all reptiles lay eggs?
Google says most reptiles lay eggs, but in a few snakes and lizards, the eggs develop inside the mother’s body so that she gives birth to live young.
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Crocodiles and tortoises lay hard-shelled eggs similar to bird’s eggs. Turtles, snakes, and most lizards lay eggs with softer leathery shells.
