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Ostrich eggs are the largest of all eggs, [4] though they are actually the smallest eggs relative to the size of the adult bird — on average they are 15 cm (5.9 in) long, 13 cm (5.1 in) wide, and weigh 1.4 kilograms (3.1 lb), over 20 times the weight of a chicken's egg and only 1 to 4% the size of the female. [5]
The male and female alternate to sit on the eggs with the female doing duty in the day and the male in the night. Some birds can lay up to 100 eggs during the breeding season with an egg being laid every one or two days. During this period the male ostriches become very aggressive protecting both the female and the eggs. [citation needed]
Ostrich eggs are the largest of all eggs, [68] though they are actually the smallest eggs relative to the size of the adult bird – on average they are 15 cm (5.9 in) long, 13 cm (5.1 in) wide, and weigh 1.4 kg (3.1 lb), over 20 times the weight of a chicken's egg and only 1 to 4% the size of the female. [69]
Ostrich eggs are vulnerable to many predators ranging from mongooses and Egyptian vultures, to hyenas. [20] Snakes of the genera Dasypeltis and Elachistodon specialize in eating eggs. Humans have a long history of eating eggs, both wild bird eggs and farm-raised bird eggs. [citation needed]
They are the heaviest and largest living birds, with adult common ostriches weighing anywhere between 63.5 and 145 kilograms and laying the largest eggs of any living land animal. [3] With the ability to run at 70 km/h (43.5 mph), [ 4 ] they are the fastest birds on land.
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The only living mammals that lay eggs are echidnas and platypuses. In the latter, the eggs develop in utero for about 28 days, with only about 10 days of external incubation (in contrast to a chicken egg, which spends about one day in tract and 21 days externally). [11] After laying her eggs, the female curls around them.