WINSTON WEEKLY©^[1]

March 30, 2025

Vol. 3, No. 13

HATCHED[2]

From goose eggs to platypus eggs to turtle eggs, eggs provide many memorable moments. The platypus is one of only two egg-laying mammals. Common in eastern Australia waterways, female platypus lay two to three leathery eggs in burrows near the water’s edge. The eggs hatch babies known as puggles within ten days after being laid. Born without fur and unable to swim, puggles are nursed for four months before they forage alone. Puggles are born with teeth, including an “egg tooth” which helps break the egg at birth. By the time puggles leave their burrow, they have lost all their teeth, grown fur, and developed a hard bill or beak. Platypuses are the only animals with electroreception, allowing them to see underwater prey in dark waters using electrical impulses.

A single goose egg is equivalent to three chicken eggs. Female geese lay between 20 and 40 eggs each spring, typically in a straw nest. Depending on the breed, it takes 28-35 days for goose eggs to hatch. Baby geese are known as goslings, a term with Scandinavian roots. Goslings typically stay in the nest for a week after birth, but many can swim within 24 hours after birth.

Turtle eggs are laid in nests of sand or soil and have varied sizes and shells. Sea turtles lay between 50 to 200 eggs. The leathery sea turtle egg has an incubation period of 45 to 60 days. The largest sea turtle, the leatherback, can grow as long as six feet and weigh up to 2,000 pounds. The pancake tortoise, native to Tanzania and Kenya, lays one to two eggs at a time. The hard white shell has an incubation period of four to six months. Pancake tortoises are slightly larger than a quarter at birth. They grow to a maximum length of seven inches and weigh about a pound when fully grown.

THIS WEEK’S ACTIVITY

Consider the following questions in developing a crossword puzzle or story:

 1) How many species of animals lay eggs?

2) What is the largest egg ever laid?

3) What eggs are laid in water?

 4) What eggs are best for baking?

---

[1] A Sunday newsletter and blog by Alysen Bayles to be shared with the appropriate attribute.

[2] Resources: https://animals/sandiegozoo.org/pancaketortise; Jack Ashby, Platypus Matters: The Extraordinary Story of Australian Mammals, University of Chicago Press, 2024; Australian Platypus Conservancy, www.playpus.asn.au; Bernd Heinrich, The Geese of Beaver Bog, Ecco Press, 2005; Fresh Eggs Daily® with Lisa Steele, https://www.fresheggsdaily.blog.