6 incredible facts about Easter eggs
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Eggs painted in different colors are one of the attributes of Easter, and in Western countries there is a tradition of searching for Easter eggs. Eggs are also the basis for the creativity of decorators. The egg is a symbol of rebirth and fertility. Before Easter, Live Science collected interesting facts about eggs. For example, according to researchers at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) in New York, a kiwi bird’s egg takes up about 25% of the mother’s body, making it the largest egg of any bird relative to the adult bird’s body size. A huge egg has its advantages: the chick is almost ready to live independently as soon as it hatches. An assortment of eggshells from the ornithological collection at the American Museum of Natural History in New York Photo: AMNH/C.Chesek Eggs come in many shapes Many people think of chickens when they think of egg shapes, but eggs can be more rounded or pointed, depending on the species a bird Kaira thin-beaked (Uria aalge) has a pear-shaped egg. The bottom-heavy egg of the thin-billed kaira. Photo: Paul Sweet/AMNH The bird nests on narrow cliff edges, but the unusual shape of the egg usually keeps it safe. “If you try to push one of these eggs, it will actually spin in a circle because it’s so heavy at one end. That’s a way to keep it from rolling off the narrow ledge,” said Paul Sweet, AMNH’s ornithological collection manager. Eggs come in different colors Eggs come in purple, green-blue, white and speckled, etc. Eggshell is mainly composed of calcium carbonate, which appears white to the human eye. Eggs have evolved into different shapes, colors and sizes. Photo: AMNH/C.Chesek But some eggshells contain ultraviolet colors that are not visible to humans but are likely perceived by birds. Two pigments are responsible for the many colors of the eggshell: biliverdins, which create blue-green hues, and protoporphyrins, pigments responsible for the rusty yellow, red, and brown colors. Eggshells that have spots or lines usually contain more protoporphyrins. These spots can help mask the egg. What bird egg is the largest The largest known bird egg belongs to the extinct elephant bird (family Aepyornithidae). The egg of an elephant bird is more than twice the size of an ostrich. Photo: Paul Sweet/AMNH His eggs were the size of an American football, or about 28 centimeters long. The bird itself was about 3 meters tall and lived in Madagascar. What is the smallest bird’s egg Hummingbirds lay the smallest bird’s eggs, which weigh about the same as a paper clip. A calliope hummingbird egg costs less than a penny. Photo: Paul Sweet/AMNH “They’re kind of like Tic-Tac lollipops,” says Paul Sweet. Some eggshells are thicker than others Most eggshells are thin enough for the chick to peck at as they hatch. However, it is also thick enough to support the weight of the embryo growing inside and the weight of the parents who incubate it. Some eggshells are extremely thick. Cassowary eggs have a thick green shell. Photo: Paul Sweet/AMNH The cassowary, a flightless bird native to New Guinea and northeastern Australia, lays green eggs with a shell about 0.6 cm thick. “It looks like a huge avocado,” adds Paul Sweet. How eggs evolved The first eggs were laid by small lizard-like animals called “basal amniotes” that lived about 325 million years ago during the Carboniferous period. Bird eggs are “amniotic”, that is, they have a hard shell and porous membranes that allow the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide. More importantly, amniotic eggs do not dry out, so animals can lay them on land. Photo: nblxer/Depositphotos Over time, basal amniotes split into two groups: synapsids (mammal ancestors) and sauropsids (reptiles and birds). Birds evolved from theropod dinosaurs, a group of mostly carnivorous dinosaurs that includes Tyrannosaurus Rex. Read also: Polar scientists showed how the eggs of subantarctic penguins are born. VIDEO
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