We recently arranged a field trip for our second graders to the zoo and aquarium to help them understand the world of the land animals, the underwater species, and the amphibians.
As the teachers and chaperones started speaking to them about the animal habitats, their feeding habits, and how they bring up their young ones, the children asked us how the eggs of the reptiles are different from that of the birds.
We were surprised to learn from the experts the manners in which they protect their eggs are also different. For example, they tend to bury their eggs.
Animals that bury their eggs:
- Turtles
- Chameleons
- Lizards
- Geese
- Bearded dragons
- Turkeys
- Crocodiles
Then the experts took us around the zoo and aquarium, telling us how and why animals bury their eggs.
List of animals that bury eggs:
1. Turtles
Turtles are often mistaken as amphibians because they are born on land and migrate towards the sea or ocean after their birth.
Turtles are known to lay eggs with hard shells to protect these from predators. However, it is not uncommon for turtles to be attacked by other animals.
This happens when the turtle lays its eggs near water sources such as rivers or lakes.
In order to avoid this problem, turtles will usually dig holes in the ground to bury their eggs
However, sometimes you will find turtle eggs are soft and leathery and this will depend on the amount of water the eggs absorb.
They will also bury the eggs in a nest made in the sand. The mother turtle makes the nest with the help of her hind flippers.
The mother turtle keeps the shells soft, moist, and porous by burying their eggs. Along with that, it protects the eggs and prevents them from drying out.
The mother turtle buries the eggs to ensure that they can hatch and that the eggs are protected from predators.
2. Chameleons
Chameleons like turtles are also known to bury their eggs. But these creatures are known to find secluded spots where they will bury their eggs.
Research shows that female chameleons tend to search for isolated spots and dirt heaps where they can lay their eggs when it is time to do so.
But unlike turtles, they do not build nests. Instead, they dig holes with sharp claws in the damp dirt to lay eggs.
In the wild, you will find that female chameleons will first scout around for suitable areas where they can dig holes when it is time to lay eggs.
Once they have identified a suitable place, they will dig a hole in the dirt, lay the eggs and bury them to protect them from predators.
3. Lizards
Lizards have a unique way of burying their eggs. When you think of lizards, this can range from the common house lizards to your giant monitor lizards.
The lizards tend to bury their eggs in suitable spots in the ground and then abandon their eggs.
When it comes to the smaller lizards, you will find that these reptiles will first look for a suitably secluded spot and then dig a hole in the dirt.
They will then lay the eggs, and they bury the eggs there. The more giant monitor lizards do the same, but they often dig burrows and not simply holes.
Experts can identify these burrows by the dig markings of the lizard around the holes. Sometimes the lizards abandon the eggs in the burrows, but you might find the mother lurking close by.
4. Geese
Geese are unique birds, and they have innovative ways of protecting their eggs. In the wild, geese will find leaves and sticks to cover their eggs in the nest.
Geese often build nests in the lower reaches of the trees, and some species of geese even build nests on the edges of water bodies.
Hence it becomes necessary to bury their eggs to protect these from predators.
Farmers raising poultry and geese often see this bird’s behavior replicated in their habit of covering their eggs with straw or hay.
When the geese are being raised as a part of poultry farming, the birds bury their eggs by covering these with straw or hay.
5. Bearded dragons
Bearded dragons are reptiles, and like most reptiles, they too bury their eggs. However, the behavior of bearded dragons with their eggs is different.
When it is time to lay eggs, you will find a female bearded dragon tunneling a hole to find a suitable place to bury her eggs.
If it is your pet bearded dragon, then the chances are that there is not sufficient space in its box, and you need to create a separate nesting box for the bearded dragon to lay the eggs.
Create a nesting box with a substrate containing moisture and vermiculite. This will give the bearded dragon a chance to tunnel through and lay the eggs.
6. Turkeys
Turkeys lay eggs in a nest, but they are known to abandon their eggs if they turn cold.
The primary reason for this is that turkeys build nests on the ground, and if the eggs are not adequately covered, then chances are there that the eggs can turn cold, and these will not hatch.
Turkeys do not bury their eggs in the same manner as turtles or lizards, but they do bury their eggs as they cover their nest and the eggs with leaves, hay, straw, and other suitable things.
Turkey eggs take twenty-six to twenty-eight days to incubate, and she will incubate her eggs for the period.
However, the eggs remain buried all the time when she returns to the flock to feed. Mother turkeys ensure that her clutch remains buried and hidden in the ground during this time.
7. Crocodiles
Crocodiles build nests in the riverside and lay their eggs in these nests. These nests are built inside the ground and buried in the ground.
Once the eggs are laid, you will find the mother crocodile lurking near the nest. The primary reason for burying the eggs in the ground is to protect the eggs from predators.
The eggs remain buried in the ground, but the crocodile does not abandon the eggs. The moisture in the nest ensures that the eggs do not dry up and provide adequate protection.
When the eggs hatch, the mother crocodile carries the hatchlings to the water body in her mouth.