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DPChallenge Forums >> General Discussion >> Egg Identification
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Showing posts 1 - 23 of 23, (reverse)
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 06/30/2012 03:29:48 PM · #1
Hi. We were hiking today when we passed by a family that found this egg:


Does anyone know what kind of egg it is?

Thanks.
 06/30/2012 03:37:19 PM · #2
It's a dinosaur egg. Be very, very careful with it! ;D

eta: It does kind of look like a turtle egg.

Message edited by author 2012-06-30 15:49:58.
 06/30/2012 04:47:26 PM · #3
When it hatches, don't give it water after midnight, no matter how cute it is.
06/30/2012 05:48:56 PM · #4
I've never seen an egg that grew along with a nickel on top of it. Too bad it's not a silver dollar -- you could breed those and sell them as money hens! :P

Message edited by author 2012-06-30 18:58:49.
 06/30/2012 06:53:58 PM · #5
Looks like a snapping turtle egg. About the right size and color. Was it "leathery" or more hard-shelled like a bird's egg?
 06/30/2012 08:46:34 PM · #6
I didn't actually feel it, but I'm under the same impression its a snapping turtle egg.

Which...would be consistent with Kelli's observation that it was a dinosaur egg. This snapping turtle was in my back yard a while ago....proof that dinosaurs once existed.:

06/30/2012 08:51:57 PM · #7
We had a snapping turtle on our driveway a few weeks ago, which was surprising since we're on top of a hill and a pretty good distance from any body of water.
 06/30/2012 09:00:47 PM · #8
Originally posted by scalvert:
We had a snapping turtle on our driveway a few weeks ago, which was surprising since we're on top of a hill and a pretty good distance from any body of water.


We once had a snapper in our driveway, virtually identical - on a hillside and not overly close to any big body of water. Still the Rideau river is nearby as was a small stream.

fwiw any local eggshells I've seen are generally around the size of a large ping-pong ball, white or off-white and leathery. They could be painted eggs, too, but I'd think snappers are more likely.
 06/30/2012 09:46:18 PM · #9
Originally posted by PGerst:
Which...would be consistent with Kelli's observation that it was a dinosaur egg. This snapping turtle was in my back yard a while ago....proof that dinosaurs once existed.

I think current opinion is that birds may be more closely related to (are direct descendants of) dinosaurs than turtles or other reptiles.
 06/30/2012 09:53:20 PM · #10
That is quite surprising. But, from what I heard, snappers will lay their eggs away from water and its amazing how fast turtles actually move.

Originally posted by scalvert:
We had a snapping turtle on our driveway a few weeks ago, which was surprising since we're on top of a hill and a pretty good distance from any body of water.
06/30/2012 09:54:44 PM · #11
Yes. I just learned that as well. There is a dinosaur exhibit at the CT Science Center. My wife and daughter went the other day and learned that many of the dinosaurs we have though of as having more reptile like outer surfaces were actually covered with fur or feathers.

Originally posted by GeneralE:
Originally posted by PGerst:
Which...would be consistent with Kelli's observation that it was a dinosaur egg. This snapping turtle was in my back yard a while ago....proof that dinosaurs once existed.

I think current opinion is that birds may be more closely related to (are direct descendants of) dinosaurs than turtles or other reptiles.
06/30/2012 10:00:15 PM · #12
Couldn't we study a few members here and prove/disprove the dinosaur theory? :-)
 06/30/2012 10:35:01 PM · #13
this was in the mulch at my office building in Cheshire a few years ago.
 07/01/2012 11:16:51 AM · #14
That's too big to be a snapping turtle egg, I think. Snapping turtle eggs are smaller than ping-pong balls. They are also quite round. Here is a gallery that shows a snapper laying eggs; for scale, her shell was about 8 inches long.

07/01/2012 11:18:56 AM · #15
FWIW, snapping turtles can travel a long ways on land, and they often lay their eggs in sandy soil or even in gravel. They are attracted to road shoulders as nest sites, and this is one thing that's putting them in jeopardy.

Message edited by author 2012-07-01 11:19:11.
 07/01/2012 02:49:06 PM · #16
I forgot what the common name is but the scientific classification of the egg you have is Nickleontopis egginhandus


07/01/2012 04:51:42 PM · #17
Maybe it is actually the seed of a money tree. You are so lucky!
 07/01/2012 08:38:22 PM · #18
To sum it up:

- It's like not a snapping turtle egg (the people who found had looked it up and thought it wasn't either.

- It's likely not a dinosaur egg

- Possibly related to Nickleontopis egginhandus

- Possibly the seed of a money tree (which I had it and not the other people).

The ones who found it were taking it to the Lutz Museum to see if they could identify. I'll give them a call tomorrow to see what they found.
 07/01/2012 08:44:03 PM · #19
Originally posted by kawesttex:
Couldn't we study a few members here and prove/disprove the dinosaur theory? :-)

Ehhh? what's that? You called, young feller?
 07/01/2012 09:03:02 PM · #20
Big egg. Looks nearly elliptical. I'll put in a vote for bald eagle egg. Older, failure to hatch.





Not as big as a tennis ball.

Message edited by author 2012-07-01 21:15:12.
 07/02/2012 10:59:52 PM · #21










We have these all over our property near the pond and creek. Sometimes we have to be careful while walking through the grass down by the pond not to step on them by accident. Several years ago we awoke one morning to find about a half dozen of them on our driveway, which is a dirt driveway, getting ready to lay their eggs. Unfortunately, I haven't seen one of their eggs yet.
 07/02/2012 11:29:15 PM · #22
Canada goose egg? Common bird. Large enough. Looks like these eggs:

Speckled Canada goose eggs

I'm just taking a guess though.

Message edited by author 2012-07-02 23:31:47.
 07/03/2012 12:05:43 AM · #23
Calling the museum tomorrow...hopefully, they will have some answers....
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