Fascinating - thatnks too, Lala. So perhaps that's why the croc hard shell
layer seems (as far as I can tell - may be wrong) to fall off more readily than
birds'. So "dinosaurs" did... it the bird way I suppose.

In view of what we have just heard from Lala and Charles, there doesn't seem to
be a reason for crocs to hae a hard shell. I wonder what hapens if the hard
outer layer is removed very early from croc eggs. And if they suffer due to
trans-shell transport of some kind, what then happens if such advers transport
is artificially corrected?

Still not to sure how crocs drain their lungs for breathing after hatching.

Cordially,

John J.


--- On Wed, 10/29/08, Lala A.K. Singh <laksingh2005@...> wrote:

> From: Lala A.K. Singh <laksingh2005@...>
> Subject: Re: [Palaeoology] Air chambers
> To: Palaeoology@...
> Date: Wednesday, October 29, 2008, 1:12 PM
> Only if the croc egg desiccates, towards the end of
> incubation (before hatching time) we may notice the leathery
> membrane of the egg depress-in (like vacum). otherwise, 
> it will always swell up and even (when shells have flakedn
> and fallen off) become roundish. When desiccation occurs
> there are congenital defects like curved neck, twisted
> tail...etc. (more in LAKSingh and H.R.Bustard 1982: British
> Journal of Herpetol). 
> Thank you.
>
> Dr. Lala A. K. Singh, Prakruti Bhavan, Neelakantha Nagar
> Bhubaneswar, Orissa, PIN: 751012, INDIA
>
> --- On Tue, 28/10/08, Charles Deeming
> <charlie@...> wrote:
>
> From: Charles Deeming
> <charlie@...>
> Subject: Re: [Palaeoology] Air chambers
> To: Palaeoology@...
> Date: Tuesday, 28 October, 2008, 2:33 PM
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> No soft-shelled eggs collapse if they lose weight.
>  
> Under normal incubation conditions no reptile egg forms an
> air space - pliable-shelled turtle eggs swell (as do
> parchment-shelled lizard and snake eggs) and hard-shelled
> turtle and croc eggs don't lose water.
>  
> Charles
>  
>  
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: strangetruther@ yahoo.com
> To: Palaeoology@ yahoogroups. co.uk
> Sent: Friday, October 24, 2008 5:35 PM
> Subject: [Palaeoology] Air chambers
>
>
>
> Can anyone confirm that soft-shelled eggs don’t develop
> air-chambers? Hard to see how they could.
>
> Presumably crocs develop air-chambers. Do all hard-shelled
> eggs?
>
> Thanks for any views.
>
> Cordially,
>
> John V. Jackson
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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