Animals That Lay Eggs

key notes :

1. Introduction:
   • Many animals give birth to their offspring by laying eggs.
   • These animals are called “oviparous” animals.
2. Examples of Animals That Lay Eggs:

1. Birds: Most birds, like chickens, ducks, and eagles, lay eggs. They build nests to keep their eggs safe.
2. Reptiles: Snakes, turtles, and alligators are reptiles that lay eggs. They often bury their eggs in sand or soil.
3. Amphibians: Frogs, toads, and salamanders are examples of amphibians that lay eggs in water or damp places.
4. Fish: Many fish, such as salmon and catfish, lay eggs in the water. They are often found in clusters called “spawning beds.”
5. Egg Characteristics:
   • Eggs come in various shapes, sizes, and colors, depending on the animal.
   • Bird eggs are usually hard-shelled, while reptile and amphibian eggs can have leathery or soft shells.
   • Eggs contain all the nutrients needed for the developing baby animal.
6. Incubation:
   • After laying eggs, many animals incubate them, which means keeping the eggs warm until they hatch.
   • Birds sit on their eggs, and some reptiles, like crocodiles, bury their eggs in warm sand.
   • Amphibians often leave their eggs in water, where they receive heat from the sun.
7. Hatching:
   • When the time is right, eggs hatch, and baby animals emerge.
   • The process of hatching varies from species to species. For example, chicks use their beaks to peck through their eggshells.
8. Advantages of Laying Eggs:
   • Laying eggs can be a safer way to have offspring because parents don’t have to carry babies inside their bodies.
   • Eggs can be laid in protected places, reducing the risk of predators.
9. Conclusion:
   • Animals that lay eggs have a unique way of reproducing, and it is fascinating to learn about the different types of eggs and how they develop into baby animals.

Birds and fish are not the only animals that lay eggs. Insects, turtles, lizards, and reptiles lay eggs, too. Only two mammals lay eggs: the platypus and the echidna.

Oviparous Animals

The animals which give birth to their young ones through eggs are called oviparous animals. Birds, fishes, insects, frogs, snakes, lizards, turtles, alligators and crocodiles are animals that lay eggs. When these eggs are hatched, young ones come out of these eggs.

According to their habitat, we can divide oviparous animals into three categories:

1. Aerial oviparous animals – Birds
2. Terrestrial oviparous animals – Insects, snakes, lizards, turtles and crocodiles
3. Aquatic oviparous animals – Fishes, frogs

🔥Aerial Oviparous Animals

Birds
The birds such as hen, pigeon, sparrow, crow, parrot, duck and ostrich, etc., lay eggs.
They bear their young in hard-shelled eggs which hatch after some time. Adult birds sit on the eggs for a few days to keep them warm till they hatch. This process is known as incubation.

Parts of an Egg
An egg has the following parts –

• Shell
• Albumen
• Yolk
• Air cell

Terrestrial Oviparous Animals

Insects
Nearly all insects reproduce by laying eggs. Insect eggs are deposited by adult insects in a safe location. This location can be anywhere–wood, leaves, dirt, water, even bodies of human beings and other animals. The eggs are usually sticky, so they can hang on to the surface without falling off.

Colorado potato beetle lays eggs on the underside of leaves

Some insects such as grasshoppers and cockroaches pass through three stages in their life cycles.

1. When the eggs of a cockroach hatch, baby cockroaches come out. They are called nymph.
2. They look similar to adult cockroaches. They shed their skin several times when they are growing. This is called moulting.
3. After moulting many times, they change into adult cockroaches.

Other insects such as butterflies and house flies pass through four stages in their life cycle. Let’s look at the life cycle of a butterfly.

Life Cycle of a Butterfly

A butterfly has four stages in its life cycle.

1. Eggs: The female butterfly lays eggs on the underside of leaves.
2. Larva: The egg hatches and larva comes out. It is also called a caterpillar. It looks like a worm. It eats leaves and grows quickly.
3. Pupa: The caterpillar spins a covering called pupa around itself. Inside the pupa, the caterpillar slowly turns into a fully-grown butterfly.
4. Butterfly: When the pupa splits open, the beautiful butterfly takes flight.

It starts flying, looks for food and then lays eggs. The life cycle starts all over again.

Other Egg-laying Terrestrial Animals
Crocodiles, turtles, lizards, and snakes also reproduce by laying eggs. Their eggs have hard shells, like that of birds.
Crocodiles and alligators make nests for their eggs on the ground in shallow pits near the river banks. After laying the eggs, the mother covers the eggs with sand. Only a few of them hatch as some do not get sufficient heat and some are eaten by other animals.
When the eggs hatch, the mother picks the babies in her mouth and carries them in to the water. She guards them for several months.

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