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I Wonder Why – Why The Egg Is Oval In Shape?

Shapes

I Wonder Why – Why The Egg Is Oval In Shape? PR034 UNIV 08

Why is an egg-shaped the way it is?

● Some say eggs are egg-shaped because this shape adds to their strength. But if

it was so simple; all eggs should have been of a spherical shape ­ yet pigeons

and diving birds lay eggs that are the point at both ends.

● According to a mathematician named Dr. Tamas Szekely, the explanation for the

egg-shaped lies in the number of eggs a bird species lay.

● He found that eggs fit together quite snugly in the nest, with only small air spaces

between them. This means the eggs radiate their heat onto each other, and keep

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each other warm. And of course, you can fit more eggs into the nest.

● Some shorebirds like plovers typically lay approximately four eggs that are

pointy shaped. Because of their shape, the eggs can have a larger shape to

occupy the space.

● On the other hand, ostriches lay just one egg, and a spherical shape is best for

them.

● The eggs of guillemots are pear-shaped. This may be because guillemots make

their nests on cliff faces, and pear-shaped eggs don’t roll in a straight line, and

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are less likely to roll over the edge.