The Ostrich (Struthio camelus) Egg – a Safety Seat in the Time Vehicle

The role of the egg is 2-fold - protection of the contents and conditioning the incubation. We used a variety of search engines to collate literature pertinent to the ostrich egg from PubMed, Medline, and Agricola. An ostrich egg weighs ca. 1.5 kg, and the mean length and width are 156 and 129 mm, respectively. The vertical and horizontal circumferences reach a maximum of 45 and 40 cm, respectively. Average internal volume is ca. 1350 ml. The mean weight of albumen in a 1500 g ostrich egg reaches 900 g, with a 317 g yolk and a 296 g voided shell. The shell thickness ranges from 1.6 to 2.2 mm. Instron-determination of the eggshell strength reached some 70 kg (~686 N), while that of chicken eggshells was 3-4 kg. Thus, an ostrich egg can potentially withstand the weight of an adult human being. The egg that possesses the best genetic manifestations of size and shape is likely to be located in the centre of a nest, thus providing optimal incubating conditions.

The Ostrich (Struthio camelus) Egg – a Safety Seat in the Time Vehicle

The role of the egg is 2-fold - protection of the contents and conditioning the incubation. We used a variety of search engines to collate literature pertinent to the ostrich egg from PubMed, Medline, and Agricola. An ostrich egg weighs ca. 1.5 kg, and the mean length and width are 156 and 129 mm, respectively. The vertical and horizontal circumferences reach a maximum of 45 and 40 cm, respectively. Average internal volume is ca. 1350 ml. The mean weight of albumen in a 1500 g ostrich egg reaches 900 g, with a 317 g yolk and a 296 g voided shell. The shell thickness ranges from 1.6 to 2.2 mm. Instron-determination of the eggshell strength reached some 70 kg (~686 N), while that of chicken eggshells was 3-4 kg. Thus, an ostrich egg can potentially withstand the weight of an adult human being. The egg that possesses the best genetic manifestations of size and shape is likely to be located in the centre of a nest, thus providing optimal incubating conditions.
Keywords:

Egg, evolution, ostrich,

___

Cooper, R.G.: Handling, incubation, and hatchability of ostrich (Struthio camelus var. domesticus) eggs: a review. J. Appl. Poult. Res., 2001; 10: 262-273.

Horba´nczuk, J.O.: The Ostrich. European Ostrich Group, Denmark, 2002, pp. 176

Abanikannda, O.T.F., Leigh, A.O.: Allometric relationships between composition and size of chicken table eggs. Int. J. Poult. Sci., 2007; 6: 211-217.

Anderson, K.E., Tharrington, J.B., Curtis, P.A., Jones, F.T.: Shell characteristics of eggs from historic strains of single comb white Leghorn chickens and the relationship of egg shape to shell strength. Int. J. Poult. Sci., 2004; 3: 17-19.

Holtzhausen, A., Koetze, M.: The Ostrich. C.P. Nel Museum, Oudtshoorn, South Africa, 1995: pp. 56.

Kilner, R.M.: The evolution of egg colour and patterning in birds. Biol. Rev., 2006; 81: 383-406.

Bertram, B.C.R.: The Ostrich Communal Nesting System. Princeton University Press. Princeton, New Jersey, USA, 1992: pp. 196.

Bertram, B.C.R., Burger, A.E.: Are ostrich Struthio camelus eggs the wrong colour? Ibis, 1981; 123: 207-210.

Honza, M., Picman, J., Grim T., Novák, V., Capek, M., Mrlík, V.: How to hatch from an egg of great structural strength. A study of the common cuckoo. J. Avian Biol., 2001; 32: 249-255.

Hughes, R.L., Hall, L.S.: Early development and embryology of the platypus. Philos. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. B Biol. Sci., 1998, 353: 1101-1114.

Karlsson, O., Lilja, C.: Eggshell structure, model of development and growth rate in birds. Zoology (Jena), 2008; 111: 494-502.

Turkish Journal of Veterinary and Animal Sciences-Cover
  • ISSN: 1300-0128
  • Yayın Aralığı: Yılda 6 Sayı
  • Yayıncı: TÜBİTAK
Sayıdaki Diğer Makaleler

The Ostrich (Struthio camelus) Egg – a Safety Seat in the Time Vehicle

Ross G. COOPER, Marek LUKASZEWICZ, Jaroslaw O. HORBANCZUK

Renkli Tiftik Keçisi ve Ankara Keçisi × Renkli Tiftik Keçisi F1 Melezi Oğlaklarda Tiftik Üretimi, Temiz Tiftik Verimi ve Elyaf Özelliklerinin Araştırılması

Fuat ODABAŞIOĞLU, Mürsel KÜÇÜK, Orhan YILMAZ

Effects of Two Different Types of Montmorillonite on Growth Performance and Serum Profiles of Broiler Chicks during Aflatoxicosis

Yinghua SHI, Zirong XU, Yu SUN, Chengzhang WANG, Jianlei FENG

Brucella abortus’a Bağlı Atık Yapmış İneklerin Meme Bezi ve Supramammar Lenf Düğümlerinde Patolojik, İmmunohistokimyasal ve Bakteriyolojik Bulgular

Enver BEYTUT, Mitat ŞAHİN, Serpil ERGİNSOY, Mahmut SÖZMEN

The Ostrich (Struthio camelus) egg – a safety seat in the time vehicle

Ross G. COOPER, Marek LUKASZEWICZ, Jaroslaw O. HORBANCZUK

Comparison of Lamb Growth Characteristics in Diverse Genotypes in Relation to Milk Yield of Dams

Yemleme Seviyesi ve Stoklama Yoğunluğunun Sarıbenli Balığı, Barbus luteus, Yavrularının Gelişimi ve Yem Değerlendirmesi Üzerine Etkileri

Kaya GÖKÇEK, Yalçın TEPE

Detection of Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae in Pigs in Turkey

Arzu Funda BAĞCIGİL, Serkan İKİZ, N. Yakut ÖZGÜR

The Ostrich (Struthio camelus) Egg – a Safety Seat in the Time Vehicle

Ross G. COOPER, Marek LUKASZEWICZ, Jaroslaw O. HORBANCZUK

Pathological, immunohistochemical, and bacteriological findings in the mammary glands and supramammary lymph nodes of cows with a history of abortion due to Brucella abortus

Mahmut SÖZMEN, Enver BEYTUT, Serpil ERGİNSOY, Mitat ŞAHİN