Human Interest Animals Wild Animals 'Rarest Snake' in the U.S. Hatches at Tennessee Zoo — and Soon It Will Be Released into the Wild A Louisiana pine snake was born at the Tennessee-based attraction earlier this month By Nicholas Rice Nicholas Rice Nicholas Rice is a Senior Editor for PEOPLE Magazine. He began working with the brand as an Editorial Intern in early 2020, before later transitioning to a freelance role, and then staff positions soon after. Nicholas writes and edits anywhere between 7 to 9 stories per day on average for PEOPLE, spanning across each vertical the brand covers. People Editorial Guidelines Published on July 27, 2024 09:00AM EDT Comments A Louisiana pinesnake born at the Memphis Zoo. Photo: Memphis Zoo The Memphis Zoo has welcomed a rare addition to its animal family! A first Louisiana pine snake, which is the "rarest snake" in North America, was born at the Tennessee-based attraction this month, the zoo announced in a Facebook post. The reptile hatched among a “whopping” 114 eggs, per the Memphis Zoo, which marked "the largest amount of eggs in a season" for the establishment's breeding program. The newborn and "future hatchlings" will be cared for by the zoo for the next year, before they are "released into the wild next spring to help repopulate their species," the zoo said. The Memphis Zoo allows fans to watch the new snakes births' on a live cam on its website. Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Rare Two-Headed Snake Undergoes Surgery in Missouri to Treat an 'Emerging Health Condition' The Memphis Zoo says on its website that it "is passionate about saving the Louisiana pine snake from extinction." "One of the ways we do this is to conduct research which has led to important contributions to knowledge of the species, including the first published data on its unique reproductive biology and the elevation of the snake to full species status," the zoo continues. The zoo adds: "For 40 years, the Memphis Zoo has been working on multiple fronts to understand and preserve the Louisiana pine snake." The Memphis Zoo also focuses on five other areas in which their conservation efforts provide aid, including helping Sumatran tigers, Dusky Gopher frogs, Eastern lowland gorillas, African elephants and biodiversity in Sri Lanka. People interested in donating to the zoo's conversation efforts can do so by clicking here.