Reproductive System
When mating, the male grasps the back of the female's neck in his jaws and pins her down before inseminating her with one of his 2 penises. 5 weeks later the females are ready to lay.Before laying, females seek out a soft area, normally sand, and they dig a hole for the eggs. They then lay 1 to 4 eggs. For a while, until the hormones subside, the female protects her burrow against other females. Some 3 to 4 months later the hatchlings emerge.
Life Cycle
Hatchlings emerge from the sand and instinctively run straight to the rocks where they can be better camouflaged. They will not go swimming until they are older and stronger.They can live an average of 15 years and reach sexual maturity at around 2 years.Annually, they shed their skin which takes about 3 months and at the end they are assisted by mocking birds, sally lightfoot crabs and finches that nibble away at the loose edges. The finches are also known to remove ticks, particularly off those populations that live close to human settlements.