| Cleverina Clogs
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| 81925. Wed Jul 26, 2006 6:43 pm |
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It takes 30 size 2 hens eggs to make up the same volume as 1 ostrich egg.
Think of the omlette that would make! |
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| Jenny
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| Flash
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| 81968. Wed Jul 26, 2006 10:18 pm |
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| The largest egg laid by any animal (including the largest dinosaurs) was produced by the elephant bird (Aepyornis maximus) of Madagascar, which became extinct about 1700. It was ten times the size of an ostrich egg, holding up to nine litres – the equivalent of 180 chicken’s eggs. Aepyornis is thought to be the basis for the legend of the fierce roc that Sinbad battles in the Arabian Nights. The National Geographic Society in Washington holds a specimen of an Aepyornis egg which was discovered by Luis Marden in 1967. The specimen is intact and contains an embryonic skeleton of the unborn bird. |
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| Flash
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| 81969. Wed Jul 26, 2006 10:23 pm |
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The ostrich egg does hold two unassailable records. It is the largest single cell in the world and it is the smallest bird's egg in comparison to body size (about 1.4% of the mother's weight). The unenviable holder of the largest egg in comparison to size is the little spotted kiwi which lays an egg that weighs a scarcely credible 26% of the mother's weight. This would be the equivalent of a human mother giving birth to a six year old child.
An ostrich egg weighs as much as 24 hen's eggs. To soft boil one takes 45 minutes. Queen Victoria tucked into one for breakfast and declared it among the best meals she had ever eaten.
This is all according to my colleague Senor Menocchio, anyway. |
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| Celebaelin
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| 82015. Thu Jul 27, 2006 1:16 am |
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| Flash wrote: | | The National Geographic Society in Washington holds a specimen of an Aepyornis egg which was discovered by Luis Marden in 1967. The specimen is intact and contains an embryonic skeleton of the unborn bird. |
Opening the opportunity for cloning. Sooooo, large bird-like predators (presumably a predator) are no-longer necessarily a thing of the past.
Let's Roc! |
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| Mr Grue
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| 91117. Tue Sep 05, 2006 8:18 am |
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| On a lower level of QIness, or perhaps GIness, the chick forms in the albumen, and not the yolk. |
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| grizzly
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| 91119. Tue Sep 05, 2006 8:55 am |
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| Flash wrote: | | The largest egg laid by any animal (including the largest dinosaurs) was produced by the elephant bird (Aepyornis maximus) of Madagascar, which became extinct about 1700. It was ten times the size of an ostrich egg, holding up to nine litres – the equivalent of 180 chicken’s eggs. Aepyornis is thought to be the basis for the legend of the fierce roc that Sinbad battles in the Arabian Nights. The National Geographic Society in Washington holds a specimen of an Aepyornis egg which was discovered by Luis Marden in 1967. The specimen is intact and contains an embryonic skeleton of the unborn bird. |
Did it go extinct in 1700 or 1700 years ago?
_________________
Visit the QI Blog: www.qitalk.blogspot.com |
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| grizzly
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| 91120. Tue Sep 05, 2006 8:59 am |
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| Flash wrote: | | The ostrich egg does hold two unassailable records. It is the largest single cell in the world and it is the smallest bird's egg in comparison to body size (about 1.4% of the mother's weight). |
Is that the largest cell (i.e. an ova) or the actual egg? I don't think the fertilised egg once laid is a single cell is it?
_________________
Visit the QI Blog: www.qitalk.blogspot.com |
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| Flash
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| 91138. Tue Sep 05, 2006 9:48 am |
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| Quote: | | Did it go extinct in 1700 or 1700 years ago? |
The wiki entry describes them as "extinct since at least the 16th century".
| Quote: | | I don't think the fertilised egg once laid is a single cell is it? |
The wiki again, from the entry called Cell (Biology):
| Quote: | | The cell is the structural and functional unit of all living organisms, and is sometimes called the "building block of life." Some organisms, such as bacteria, are unicellular, consisting of a single cell. Other organisms, such as humans, are multicellular, .... The largest known cell is an ostrich egg. |
I guess you must be right about the fertilised egg, though. |
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| grizzly
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| 91142. Tue Sep 05, 2006 10:00 am |
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Yes, I understand that the ova is the largest cell in most animals (including humans, sperm are the smallest BTW) and since it has the largest egg it would be logical to expect that the ova is also the largest.
_________________
Visit the QI Blog: www.qitalk.blogspot.com |
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| gerontius grumpus
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| 92217. Sat Sep 09, 2006 7:34 pm |
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| grizzly wrote: | | Yes, I understand that the ova is the largest cell in most animals (including humans, sperm are the smallest BTW) and since it has the largest egg it would be logical to expect that the ova is also the largest. |
Don't you mean the ovum is the largest cell in most animals?
Or perhaps ova are the largest cells in most animals?
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I reserve the right to decide my own opinions, likes and dislikes, just as I respect your right to be wrong. |
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| grizzly
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| 92218. Sat Sep 09, 2006 7:36 pm |
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ova, ovum, it's one of those words that I can never remember the plural from the singular.
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Visit the QI Blog: www.qitalk.blogspot.com |
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| cabs
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| 92225. Sat Sep 09, 2006 7:43 pm |
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| Were we not paying attention in our Latin lessons? |
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| grizzly
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| 92239. Sat Sep 09, 2006 8:32 pm |
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lol
no Latin here, Biology yes :-) |
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| cabs
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| 92248. Sat Sep 09, 2006 8:40 pm |
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| You got an -ology? You're a scientist! |
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