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Most reptile eggs are leathery to protect them when laid in holes where they drop into contact with other eggs and it serves to make them more resiliant when covring the eggs with sand, dirt and other debris to conceal them.
Wiki User
∙ 15y ago
Wiki User
∙ 15y agoFor reptiles to survive on land, they had to be able to lay eggs on land, rather than, like amphibians, in water. The problems were having a sufficient surrface as to be able to exchange gases, i.e. oxygen and carbon dioxide, and also to hold as much water without excessive loss as would be needed during the gestation of the embryo.
First reptilian eggs were small, and were laid by small animals with short gestation times, and were able to survive due to the appearance of the enclosing membrane known as the amnion. This is the skin you find under the shell of a hen's egg. Reptiles have this too.
Over time this system improved, enbabling larger eggs to survive, but for a long tome the actual "she'll" wasn't really a shell but a tough leathery membrane. Indeed before the reptiles could really prosper, they needed to improve on this and so produced eggs with an outside porous calcite shell, seen today in birds (who descended from dinosaurs).
However all reptiles extant today are survivors of more primitive clades of reptiles, even the big monitor lizards and crocodiles, and thus they still lay leathery eggs.
Wiki User
∙ 13y agoAlthough tough and leather, they are still eggs.
Wiki User
∙ 11y agoThey are called amniotic eggs.
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What are the tough leathery eggs of reptile and birds are called?
amnionic eggs
An animal lays eggs with a tough leathery watertight shell what adaptation would be best suited for which environment?
A marine or semi-aquatic environment would be best.
What are some bird names ending with Y?
Here are some names of yellow birds;Yellow warblerYellow wagtailGolden orioleGoldfinch (American)Goldfinch(Eurasian)Even tough some of these birds are called gold... The color on them is actually yellow.
How do lions use their sharp teeth?
To eat their food, which in their world is usually fresh meat. So the sharp teeth cuts and tears through the tough leathery skin digging down into the muscle. Then his teeth help him rip and cut the meaty muscle off bones.
Is a lizard a reptile or a amphibian?
Lizards are reptiles. While some reptiles may be just as happy (if not happier) in the water as out of it (crocodiles, alligators, turtles, snakes), amphibians are biologically adapted to aquatic living (salamanders, frogs, toads). Among the more striking differences between reptiles and amphibians is their skin; reptiles have tough scales where amphibians do not - amphibians tend to produce a mucous layer to keep their skin moist (slimy).
What are the tough leathery eggs of reptile and birds are called?
amnionic eggs
What are the tough leatherly eggs of reptiles and birds called?
amnionic eggs
How do the eggs of birds and reptiles differ?
A reptile egg is much much much softer than birds egg.
Which are land animals that have tough and dry skin?
Land animals which have tough and dry skin are called reptiles:)
What kind of skin does snapping turtle have?
Generally, they will have tough, leathery skin.
What type of coat of armor do rhinos have?
Very tough, leathery skin.
What is rough thick leathery meningeal layer is the dura mater subarachnoid arachnoid or pia mater?
t is the tough leathery meningeal layer
Are fins wings?
Birds don't have fins as fins are for swimming in water. One could argue that they have scales on their feet as the skin there is tough and 'scaly' but there is not an overlapping matrix of scales like their would be in reptiles.
What are the body textures of a crocodile?
Contrary to popular belief, reptiles do not feel slimy. Certain reptiles, such as snakes, feel soft and a little bumpy, while other species such as giant tortoises can have skin that feels like old leather. Leopard geckos have bumpy skin, looking and feeling almost like goosebumps. Hard parts of a reptile's body, such as a turtle's shell or an alligator's ridges, feel about as tough as fingernails. There are as many textures of reptiles as there are species.
What make reptiles distinctive?
Reptiles are cold blooded (cannot regulate body temperature) animals. Reptiles are vertebrates (with a backbone). Their bodies are covered with scales or scutes. They lay eggs. Reptiles skin is tough, rough and scaly.
Why can't Animals eat Reptiles?
Animals do eat reptiles. Particular animals do eat a vast variety of reptiles. Reptiles can even eat other reptiles. Mostly, it's not a common snack for animals in general because reptiles are scaley and tough to chew and defend themselves well.
Why do llamas have 2 toes on each foot?
They have 2 toes per foot and the bottoms of their feet are padded with tough leathery soles to protect them from sharp rocks.
