#egg tooth

You lookin' at me?

Speculative baby placerias with egg tooth

Happy Earth Day!

A little egg tooth with your 'tude, little one?

Here’s how it works: with the help of higher humidity (about 70% is optimal) the shell softens which allows the chick to “pip” or peck a hole through the shell wall. It then uses it’s “egg tooth” to slowly cut a line around the top 1/3 of the egg, turning inside the egg as it goes. It’s a lot of work and the chick naps and takes breaks as needed. Once it cuts the full circumference of the egg, it pops off the top and crawls out. This can take several hours to a couple of days, depending on many factors. By then the chick has absorbed the yolk and the umbilical cord which is attached to the membrane lining the shell, dries out and drops off. The chick then dries off and fluffs out — it needs heat, food and water to survive, but it’s mostly precocial - not especially reliant on a parent to survive.

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egg tooth.