Title
On the occurrence of runt eggs in Morelet's crocodile
Author(s)
Platt, Steven G.;Rainwater, Thomas R.;Elsey, Ruth M.;et al.
Published
2020
Publisher
Caribbean Naturalist
Abstract
Runt (abnormally small) eggs are widely reported in the avian literature, but the few reports available for crocodilians are ambiguous. From 1992 to 2000, we examined 3015 Crocodylus moreletii (Morelet’s Crocodile) eggs from 117 nests in northern Belize; 9 of these eggs met the criterion for runt eggs. Runt eggs occurred at frequencies (per egg and per clutch) comparable to those reported for wild birds, appeared to be deposited in no particular order within the clutch, and were seemingly viable in some cases. Most runt eggs appeared to be associated with small female body size. In comparison to those of birds, crocodilian runt eggs probably impose minimal energetic costs on females because the maternal investment can be partially recouped by consuming those that fail to hatch.
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PUB25141