Hoarseness is generally caused by irritation of, or injury to, the vocal cords. The larynx (also referred to as the voice box), is the portion of the respiratory (breathing) tract containing the vocal cords. The vocal cords are two bands of muscle that form a V inside the larynx.
In some species babies are born alive. Other species lay eggs. In a strange combination of the two, some snakes have eggs that stay in their bodies until the eggs hatch and then the babies are born. Snakes can have anywhere from one to 150 baby snakes at a time.
Most live-bearing mothers actually retain their eggs. These develop in transparent egg membranes like beads on a string. The embryos are not connected to the motherâs tissues. When the young are ready to hatch, the mother lays them. Each live young emerges encased in a clear membrane, and have to break out of it by themselves. In a few snakes, the embryos do develop functional placentas attached to the mother (some pit vipers, and the Garter Snake Thamnophis sirtalis).