What developmental stage do rattlesnakes, as reptiles, entirely skip?
Answer
Aquatic larval stage involving gills.
Rattlesnakes, like all reptiles, bypass the early life stages characterized by aquatic dependency seen in amphibians. Amphibians typically begin as aquatic larvae (like tadpoles) breathing through gills before undergoing metamorphosis into terrestrial adults. Rattlesnakes develop entirely via amniotic eggs, whether laid externally or retained internally, resulting in young that are born as fully formed, miniature versions of the adults, thus completely eliminating the necessity for an aquatic larval stage with gills.
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