Page 88 - DK Children's Encyclopedia

Eggs SEE ALSO

▸ ▸ Amphibians p.15
▸ ▸ Birds p.39
Some young animals grow and develop inside round ▸ ▸ Fish p.101
objects called eggs. There are different types of eggs. ▸ ▸ Life cycle p.146
The size of the egg and the length of time it takes to ▸ ▸ Mammals p.154

hatch depends on the size of the animal that laid it. ▸ ▸ Metamorphosis
p.163

Bird eggs
Bird eggs are hard and
waterproof. They are kept
warm, or incubated, by one
of the parents. Most bird
eggs are kept safe in a nest.

Ostrich eggs are
the largest in It takes 42 days for
the world. an ostrich chick to
be ready to hatch.

Egg-laying
mammals
Most mammals give birth to
live babies. Only one group,
called monotremes, lay eggs.
The monotreme shown here
is called an echidna.

Ostrich chick

Tortoise hatchlings
are male or female
depending on how
warm the egg
was kept.

Dogfish eggs look like
leathery bags, which
are sometimes called
“mermaid’s purses.”

Leopard tortoise hatchling Frogspawn
Fish eggs Reptile eggs Amphibian eggs
Most fish produce lots of eggs Reptile eggs are soft and Amphibians such as frogs and
and don’t look after them. But leathery. The mother buries toads lay wet eggs in water.
they do lay the eggs in places like them in the ground and leaves When they are ready, the eggs
sea grasses to keep them safe. them to hatch on their own. hatch and tadpoles come out.

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