Egg
In some animals, an egg is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum. It nourishes and protects the embryo. Oviparous animals are animals that lay eggs, with little or no other development within the mother. This is the reproductive way of many fish, amphibians and reptiles, all birds, the monotremes mammals, and most insects and arachnids.
Reptile eggs, bird eggs, and monotreme eggs are surrounded by a protective shell, either flexible or inflexible. The 1.5 kg Ostrich egg is the largest existing single cell currently known, though the extinct Aepyornis and some dinosaurs had larger eggs. The Bee Hummingbird produces the smallest known bird egg, which weighs half of a gram. The eggs laid by some reptiles and most fish are even smaller, and those of insects and other invertebrates are much smaller still.
The study or collecting of eggs, in particular bird eggs, is called oology.
Reptile eggs, bird eggs, and monotreme eggs are surrounded by a protective shell, either flexible or inflexible. The 1.5 kg Ostrich egg is the largest existing single cell currently known, though the extinct Aepyornis and some dinosaurs had larger eggs. The Bee Hummingbird produces the smallest known bird egg, which weighs half of a gram. The eggs laid by some reptiles and most fish are even smaller, and those of insects and other invertebrates are much smaller still.
The study or collecting of eggs, in particular bird eggs, is called oology.
Source: wikipedia, under GFDL
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