7 animals that lay the most unusual eggs: Quick Facts

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Photos

Bright red, ribbon-like egg coil of a Spanish dancer nudibranch (Hexabranchus sanguineus) resting on coral in a reef environment, Indonesia.

Long, spiral lightning whelk egg case lying partly in shallow clear water and partly on sandy beach, viewed from above.

Female giant Pacific octopus (Enteroctopus dofleini) sheltering in a rocky crevice while guarding clusters of hanging eggs, with her arms wrapped protectively around them.

Close-up view of delicate lacewing eggs attached to a long, narrow grass tree leaf in a suburban garden in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia. Each tiny egg sits atop a fine, hair-like stalk, forming a neat row that keeps them suspended above the leaf surface.

Two spiral-shaped shark egg cases from the Heterodontidae family, brown black in color and coiled like corkscrews, washed up on a beach attached to green seaweed. Likely from a Port Jackson shark (Heterodontus portusjacksoni) or a crested horn shark (Heterodontus galeatus).

A clear, jelly-like mass of spotted salamander eggs floats underwater in a shallow vernal pool in Massachusetts, each egg visible as a small dark sphere suspended within the cluster.

Close-up of several common guillemot (Uria aalge) eggs at a delicatessen in Reykjavik, Iceland. The eggs are elongated and pointed at one end, with a base color ranging from pale greenish to creamy white, covered in dark brown and black speckles and streaks, giving each egg a unique pattern.

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