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Animals reproduce in different ways. Some, like humans, give birth young. Some reproduce by budding – a new creature grows out of a part of the original animal. And many different species of animals have babies that hatch from eggs.
Even among layers, there are some differences and varieties. Some animals mate before laying eggs, while in other species, such as fish, males and females simultaneously secrete gametes and the eggs are fertilized in an environment such as water. Some eggs are hard while others are soft and soft. Eggs can be stored in a nest on the ground, in a nest in a tree, or even in a parent’s body!
We’ve compiled a list of the animals that lay eggs and some surprising facts about each.
Most stable egg layers: birds
Birds are unique in that they lay eggs of all known species. Different birds have completely different methods of preserving their eggs. Some seabirds live in colonies, and millions of parents take care of the eggs laid on the ground. The weaver birds transform grasses into intricate hanging structures to support the eggs. Male rhinoceroses use mud to seal the mother bird and her eggs in a hole in the tree, leaving just enough room for food to pass through! This keeps many predators from falling into the nest.
# 12 Animals Laying Eggs: Which Bird Lays The Smallest Egg?
The smallest bird egg in the world is laid by the smallest bird in the world – the hummingbird. The egg is 0.275 inches long and weighs just 0.0009 ounces.
Did you know? Some hummingbirds use sticky spider webs to hold their tiny nests together!
# 11 Animals Laying Eggs: Which Bird Lays The Largest Egg?
It is not surprising that the largest bird’s egg is laid by the largest bird – the ostrich. The heaviest ostrich egg ever laid by a captive. The egg weighed 5 pounds 11.36 ounces. Typical ostrich eggs are 6 inches long and 3 pounds in weight. That’s about 20 chicken eggs!
Egg-laying reptiles: long journeys and live births
Reptiles are diverse in the way they lay their eggs. Some lay eggs while others give birth to live young. Some of them are ovoviviparous, that is, the young grow inside the egg, which remains inside the mother’s body until it is ready to hatch. All egg-laying reptiles are united by the fact that they lay eggs on land, even if adults spend their lives in water.
Consider the following list of some of the most interesting egg-laying reptiles.
# 10 Animals Laying Eggs: The Sea Turtle Egg Laying Journey
Sea turtles always return to the beach where they were born to lay their eggs. For example, on a specific Costa Rica beach every October, tens of thousands of sea turtles fill the beach during an event known as stay or “arrival”. They dig holes in the sand and lay leathery eggs. Their cubs then hatch at the same time, and thousands of cubs pass through the predators to return to the ocean.
# 9 Egg-laying animals: crocodiles: nest temperature determines the sex of the offspring
Like all reptiles, these aquatic creatures lay their eggs on the ground. They build nests on the banks of the river, and the mother stays nearby to protect the nest and the newly hatched offspring. However, one of the most interesting things about crocodiles is that the location of the nest determines the sex or sex of the cubs. How?
When the temperature in the nest is above 34 degrees Celsius (93.2 Fahrenheit), androgenic hormones are formed inside the egg. This produces male offspring. Lower temperatures do not produce these hormones and the embryos remain female. Thus, male crocodiles will most likely appear in the nest on the sunny bank of the river, and females in the shady one.
# 8 Animals that lay eggs: oviposition: when eggs hatch BEFORE they are laid
Some snakes, such as the garter snake, are oviparous – the young form inside the egg and feed on the egg yolk, but the egg remains inside the mother’s body rather than being laid in the nest. The snakes hatch inside the mother’s body and stay there for a while, continuing to grow. Unlike mammals, they do not receive food or oxygen from their mother during this time. In adulthood, they are born alive. This gives them an advantage as they are larger and better able to take care of themselves than when they hatch.
# 7 Animals laying eggs: laying eggs without shells: amphibians
Frogs, toads and other amphibians lay their eggs in water. The eggs do not have a hard shell. Instead, they are put in a mass with a jelly consistency. Some tropical frogs lay their eggs in tiny puddles of water trapped in tree branches or between plant leaves. A poisonous dart frog carries its newly hatched piggy bank-style tadpoles from the trees to water sources on the ground.
Just the right nest: insects and arthropods
Many insects and arthropods lay eggs. You may have seen the leaves of the tree covered with tiny round or pointed growths. These are insect eggs! Most are looking for a specific plant that will serve as food for the young. Some wasps go to the next level by laying their eggs inside a living caterpillar. As soon as the eggs hatch, they devour the hapless beetle from the inside.
6. Animals laying eggs: cabbage aphid: pregnant at birth.
Most species require a male and female to produce offspring. However, the female cabbage aphid is capable of producing her genetic copies of up to 10 offspring per day. In fact, the first embryo of the next generation can be seen inside newly hatched females using a microscope. Like the reptiles discussed above, eggs hatch inside the mother’s body.
At the end of the season, males are also born, as mating allows for genetic diversity. The females then lay eggs, which will overwinter and hatch the next spring.
# 5 Egg-laying animals: spiders that take their eggs with them
Most spiders lay their eggs in a spider silk bag. They can be hidden underground or supported by the network. But some species of spiders take their eggs with them. Nursery spiders use their mouthpieces to carry the egg sac. Wolf spiders attach a pouch of eggs to their spinners in the back of their abdomen. When the eggs hatch, the spiders climb onto the mother’s back and spend their first days there. If you try to crush a wolf spider, the baby spiders will fly apart!
Unique Egg Strategies: Fish
Like reptiles, fish have several different reproductive strategies. They can retain eggs in the body and give birth to live offspring. Or, instead of mating with a single individual, they can release eggs during mass spawning, so that waterborne gametes from many different males can fertilize eggs.
Here we list some of the most interesting fish egg stories.
# 4 Egg-laying animals: seahorses: how males give birth
Seahorses are often considered the only species given birth by males rather than females. This is due to the fact that the eggs are stored in a special pouch on the male’s belly. After they hatch, he gives birth to live cubs.
# 3 Egg-laying animals: sturgeon: they hunt for caviar
Have you ever tried caviar? Considered a delicacy, this food is actually fish eggs. A large fish called sturgeon was almost completely exterminated because its caviar was in high demand. Today, sturgeon species are protected by the Endangered Species Act, and new methods make it possible to harvest caviar without harming the fish.
# 2 Egg-laying animals: egg-laying mammals: monotremes
We know a few things about mammals: they are warm-blooded, have hair, feed their young with milk, and give birth to live young. But there are five mammals who disagree with the last rule – the platypus and four species of echidna.
These species, classified as monotremes, are egg-laying mammals. The mother carries eggs inside her body for a while, providing them with nutrients. She lays eggs in a nest or den and they hatch after about 10 days. Babies, called “scarecrows”, are underdeveloped at the time of hatching, as are newborn marsupials. Unlike other oviposites, monocytes feed their young with milk, like all other mammals. Uniquely, however, monotremes excrete milk through glands in the skin, not through nipples or nipples.
# 1 Egg-laying animals: lay the most eggs: corals
You may not think of coral reefs as eggs. But during spawning, a single coral can produce and release millions of eggs over a two-day period each year. However, this is considered a “risky” reproductive strategy, as many filter feeders come to feast on eggs and larvae. Of the millions of potential offspring each coral releases, about two will survive to adulthood.
Next: Hey! Check out these 12 animals that spit acid
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