DK - The Egg Book: See How Baby Animals Hatch, Step By Step!

See ho w baby anima ls ha tch , step by s tep!

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What is an egg? Who has eggs? Nesting Inside an egg Common ostrich Roman goose Moorhen Bird eggs Black swan Muscovy duck Golden pheasant Japanese quail Aylesbury duck Cunning cuckoos Humboldt penguin Bullfinch Common starling Mute swan Crowned lapwi ng Common pigeon Taw ny owl Miniature nest Author Robert Burto n Additional text Dr. S. James Reynolds Original photography Jane Burton, Kim T a ylor Illustrator Ella Ginn Proje ct Editor Olivia Stanford Designer Brandie T u lly-Scott US Senior Editor Shannon Beatty US Editor Mindy Fichter Proje ct Pictur e Researc her Rituraj Singh Managing Editors Marie Greenwood, Jonathan Melmoth Managing Art Editor Diane P eyton Jones Jacket Coor dinator Magda Ps zuk Produ ction Editor Dr agana P uvacic Senior Pr oduction Con troller Ena Matagic Publ ishing Director Sarah Larter PREVIOUS MAT ERIAL Editor Gillian Cooling Designer Tina R obinson Proje ct Editor Mary Ling Proje ct Art Edit or Helen Senior Material in this publication was pr eviously published in Egg (1994) First A merican Edition, 2023 Pub lished in the United States by DK Pu blishing 1745 Broadway , 20 th Floor, New Yo rk, NY 10019 Copyright 2023 Dorling Kindersley Limited DK, a Div ision of P en guin Random House LLC 23 24 25 26 27 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 001333017Fe b/2023

Leopard t ort oise Corn snake Leopard geck o Common frog Great cre sted new t Eggs in strings Rainbow tro ut Goldfish Dogfish Fish eggs Swallowt ail butt erf ly Seven -spott ed ladybug Eggs on sta lks Southern hawker dragonfly Insect eggs Kerry slug Index/G lossary /Ac knowledgments This b ook w as ma de wi th F orest Stewardship Council cer tie d pap ero ne sm all st ep in DKs c ommitment to a su stain able f uture. For more info rmation go to www. dk.com/ ou r-g reen-pledge All rights reserved. With out limiting the rights under the copyright reserved above, no pa rt of this publication may be re produced, stor ed in or introduced into a r etrieval system, or t ransmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mecha nical, photocopying, record ing, o r otherwise), without the prior written permission of the copyright owner . Pub lished in Grea t Britain by Dorling Kindersley Limited A catalog r ecord for this book is available from the Libr ary of Co ngress. ISBN 978-0-7440-6996-9 DK books are available at special discounts when purchased in bulk for sales pr omotions, pre miums, fund-raising, or e ducational use. Fo r details, contact: DK Pu blishing Special Markets, 1745 Broadway , 20 th Floor, New Yo rk, NY 10019 SpecialSales@dk.com Prin ted and bound in China www.dk.com Con sul tan t Dr. S. James Reynolds is an Assistant Professor at the University of Birmingham and an expert on birds. Impor tan t inf o rmati on Remember never to touch eggs in the wild or disturb nesting animals. They can be very prote ctive of their nests, so it s best to keep your distance.

Co lor Many bird eggs have brightly colored eggshells, which can be plain or speckled. Some have dull colors and patterns that make them diff icult for predators to see. This is called camouflage. This Japanese quails nest shows how hard it can be to see well-camouflaged eggs in a nest. Great tit egg Song thrush egg Leopard gecko egg Leopard tortoise egg Dogfish egg case Shape Bird eggs are usually oval or pointed at one end. Other animals have eggs that are differe nt shapes, such as spherical tort oise eggs or rectangular dogfish egg cases. An egg is the first stage in the development of a baby animal. It is made by a female animal. All eggs develop in the same way. They star t as a tiny speck that grows into the diffe rent part s of the animal s body. When people think of an egg, they usually think of a chicken egg but there are many other kinds.

Bird eggs can be dull, or shinylike this emu egg. Emu egg Common ostrich egg Black swan egg Common starling egg Swallowtail butterfly egg The butterfly egg below is 100 times smaller than an ostrich egg. Per egrine falcon egg Corn snake egg Moorhen egg Frogspawn Size Eggs range in size from tiny, such as those of insects, to very large, like those of an ostrich. The common ostrich lays the largest egg of any living bird. Animals that produce larger eggs usually lay smaller clutches than animals that produce smaller eggs. Eggshe lls Most animals eggs are protected by a shell. Birds and insects lay eggs with hard shells. Snakes and some other animals lay eggs with sof t shells. Frog eggs do not have a shell, but are protected by jelly instead.

Insec ts Insects lay their eggs singly or in clusters, of te n hidden under leaves. Most insect eggs hatch into wormlike larv ae, which later change shape completely to become adults. Others hatch as nymphs, which slowly grow into winged adults. Birds Bird eggs have a hard, chalky eggshell. Inside the egg, there is a thick layer of egg white, or albumen, around the yellow yolk. Birds are the only animals that sit on their eggs to keep them warm. Every kind of animal produces eggs and some lay them. The baby animals, called embry os, develop inside the eggs and hatch out when ready. Other animals, including most mammals, do not lay their eggs. Instead, their eggs develop inside the mother s body, and are eventually born as babies. Mollu sks Mollusks, such as slugs and scallops, are a large group of invert ebrates. Slugs and snails lay their hard-shelled, round eggs in holes in damp ground. Aquatic mollusks, including scallops, release tiny eggs that hatch into swimming larv ae. M u t e s w a n K e r r y s l u g Q u e e n s c a l l o p S w a l l o w t a i l b u t t e r f l y M e a d o w g r a s s h o p p e r G r e a t c r e s t e d n e w t

Reptil es Reptiles lay their eggs on land. The eggs have waterproof eggshells that can be hard or leathery . They hatch into miniature adults. Even sea reptiles, such as turt les, must return to land to lay their eggs. Mammals Very few mammals lay eggs, but even those that do still produce milk to feed their young, just like all other mammals. Egg-laying mammals include the platypus and the echidna, which live only in Australia and on the island of New Guinea. Fish Fish eggs are laid in water and have soft shells. They hatch into baby fish, called larvae. A few kinds of fish give birth to babies. Like amphibians, fish lay a lot of eggs in case some are eaten. Amphibian s Most amphibian eggs are laid in freshwater , oft en covered in a jelly that provides protection and warmth. Amphibians lay large numbers of eggs because many are eaten by other animals, such as fish, before they hatch. C o m m o n f r o g G o l d f i s h S h o r t - b e a k e d e c h i d n a C o r n s n a k e L e o p a r d t o r t o i s e