How Long the Serpent Carries Its Young

He cursed it with leprosy - these scales upon it, they are its leprosy. "Cursed are you more than all the beasts." Have you ever seen, when a man strikes his fellow with a staff, that he then strikes him again with a strap? So "cursed are you more than the domestic animals" - how much more so "than all the beasts of the field." It was taught: A large pure animal gives birth at nine months; a large impure animal gives birth at twelve months; a small pure animal gives birth at five months; the dog at fifty days; the cat at fifty-two; the pig at sixty days; the marten at seventy days; the fox at six months; and the rest of the creeping things at six months; the lion and the bear and the leopard and the elephant and the ape and the porcupine at three years; and the serpent at seven years; and the viper at seventy years. A certain philosopher wished to know how long the serpent takes to give birth. When he saw a pair mating, he took them and placed them in a barrel and supplied them with food until they gave birth. When the elders went up to Rome, he saw Rabban Gamliel and said to him: How long does the serpent take to give birth? And he could not answer him, and his face turned pale. Rabbi Yehoshua met him and said: Why is your face ill? He said to him: A question was asked of me and I could not answer it. He said to him: What is it? He said to him: How long does the serpent take to give birth? He said to him: Seven years. He said: How do you know? He said: The dog, an impure beast, gives birth at fifty days, and an impure animal gives birth at twelve months, and it is written, "Cursed are you more than all the beasts and more than every beast of the field." Just as the domestic beast is cursed sevenfold more than the wild beast, so the serpent is cursed sevenfold more than the domestic beast. As evening came on, he went up and told them. The philosopher began to beat his head against the wall, saying: All that I labored and toiled over for seven years, this one came and handed it to me on a single reed.