Discover the impressive eggs of 7 animals

1. Octopus eggs

Octopuses often place their soft, transparent eggs on protruding parts of rocks or reefs. The female octopus lays hundreds of thousands of eggs at a time and will continue to protect them from hungry predators until the eggs hatch. Due to the long delay in protecting the eggs before they hatch, the female octopus is so hungry that some are so hungry that they eat their own tentacles to survive. When thousands of baby octopuses hatch, they are fed plankton until they are old enough to independently live on the ocean floor as adults. The female octopus is often eaten by predators as soon as she leaves her nest because after the time she takes care of the eggs, she has become too weak to defend herself.

2. Shark eggs

Uh everyone, sharks and rays often spawn oddly shaped eggs which are sometimes referred to as “mermaid handbags”. This is because the eggs are enclosed in a thin collagen capsule. These follicles are usually square or rectangular with sharp corners or strings. Some sharks, like Port Jackson, have spiral eggs that act like drills protecting them in the sand. Shark eggs can be washed on the beach and are usually hand sized. Sharks lay eggs and feed them in their bodies until they hatch. Some eggs contain many baby sharks and to ensure that only the strongest survive, they often eat each other inside the eggs, before they hatch.

3. Fish roe

Unlike sharks or octopuses, most fish do not mate. Females usually lay eggs and the male releases sperm in these eggs. In some species, males and females never meet. Unlike octopuses which usually stay behind to protect the fry, they usually do nothing and let the fry grow on their own. Millions of fish eggs are produced, so even hungry predators cannot eat them all before they hatch. Some eggs are laid on convex rocky surfaces, but there are also many species that allow eggs to float freely in water, sometimes for hundreds of miles.

4. Birds eggs

Females and most reptiles often lay eggs and protect them until they hatch in a specially structured nest. And even after birth, the chicks are so weak that they still need more attention. Bird eggshells are made from calcium carbonate – the main component of shells and pearls. The eggs are often pinched at one end due to the pressure in the uterus. Many birds sit on eggs to warm them, others sneak into other birds’ nests to avoid caring for the young.

5. Dinosaur eggs

Dinosaur eggs provide an impressive glimpse into the past as they sometimes have dinosaur fossils inside. Some dinosaurs lay multiple eggs in the same nest and protect the eggs while some reproduce indiscriminately. Dinosaur eggs are shaped like pills or drops of water. Dinosaur eggs are much larger than eggs of any species, being over two feet long and eight inches wide. The eggshell has many small holes that allow air to enter the embryo. The larger the egg, the thicker the eggshell to support the weight of the egg.

6. Insect eggs

Females typically store sperm from a mating for use in subsequent fertilization, as many male insects die after a single mating. Insects lay many eggs at once and sometimes build “monumental” nests to lay eggs. Eggs come in an impressive variety of shapes and camouflage patterns. There are species that are born in water and newborn insects that are apt to enjoy life in the water early before they get used to the air. Along with ants or termites, they take great care of the eggs, even adjusting the humidity and pH of the eggs!

7. Eggs of an amphibian

Most amphibians begin to live in the water but return to land when they are adults. As a result, their eggs are usually laid underwater, surrounded by a binder to hold them together. When the eggs hatch, they are called “tadpoles” and have gills but no legs. They swim like fish even though they don’t have a mouth to start with and live with little egg yolk remaining by absorption through the skin. Eventually, the tadpoles develop in the mouth, legs, lungs and mature. A small number of amphibian species become tadpoles and develop into small individuals even before the eggs hatch, so they do not need to live in water at all.