Easter and Oviparous Australians
Frogs eggs have no shell.
Although Easter has Christian roots – like most religious traditions it has pagan influence. Eggs have always been a symbol of new life and were gifted at spring festivals. From a Christmas perspective, eggs represent Jesus resurrection. They were a forbidden food during lent, so decorating and giving eggs marked the end of fasting, a good reason to celebrate!
Why do Animals Lay Eggs?
This is a reproductive strategy used across a variety of species – there are a few reasons:
Nutrition: yolk provides the embryo with nutrients required
Improved Survival rates: not as much risk as live young
Limitation of Parental investment: allows animals to conserve energy for feeding and predator escape.
Reproductive flexibility: in unstable environments where survival is unpredictable.
Australian Oviparous Animals include:
Loggerhead Sea Turtles: always return to the beach where they were born in order to lay their eggs.
Ungee Gungee: Grasshoppers can hold 300 eggs in their abdomen!
Platypus & Echidna: A monotreme’s egg is just over 1cm wide!
Mt Lidgbird Land Snail: Most land snails [Pulmonates] are hermaphrodites which means they have both male and female reproductive organs. They fertilise each another and then lay eggs.
Silver Eyed Velvet Gecko: Some females can be pregnant with her eggs for years before she lays them!
Crocodiles: The nest temperature determines the sex of the hatchling.
Coral: During a spawn, a single coral can produce and release millions of eggs during a 2-day period each year. This is considered a risky reproductive strategy as there are plenty of filter-feeders come to feast on the eggs and larvae. Approximately two of the millions of potential offspring each coral releases will survive to adulthood.
Emu: An emu egg is the equivalent of twelve chicken eggs! For the general public, it is illegal to take emu eggs.
Frogs: The eggs do not have hard shells. Instead, they are laid in a mass that looks like jelly.
Snakes: Not all snakes lay eggs, however some excellent mamas will lay on their eggs for up to 60 days!
Monotremes lay very small eggs.