Endangered Snake Gives Birth at Lincoln Park Zoo

An endangered snake, once believed to be one of two remaining in northeastern Illinois, gave birth to four babies last week at the Lincoln Park Zoo, according to Chi-Town Daily News.

Eve is an Eastern Massasauga rattlesnake, a type of snake believed to be on the verge of extinction. Officials said Eve was pregnant when they found her, as she had yet to be introduced to a male snake also at the Lincoln Park Zoo, the report said.

Eve, along with the male, was found in April after the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and environmental groups searched the northeast region of the state for the breed.

When the two snakes were found, zoo officials said they were possibly the last of their kind, the report said. Officials hope to return the snakes to their natural habitat and will continue their search for more Eastern Massasauga rattlesnakes in the spring.

[Chi-Town Daily]