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The Egg Craters!

Posted 5/17/2012 12:05 AM by John Demboski | Comments

Redhead duck egg clutch Redhead duck

For nearly a century or more, most of the egg sets in the Zoology Department have been stored in open topped, single-walled, cardboard boxes. They were like fragile little sardines, clacking against one another; not the safest way to store eggs. The only difference is that unlike sardines, eggshells are among the most fragile objects in the entire Museum.

An example of these former storage conditions is shown here with ZO.2061. It is an egg clutch from a redhead duck (Aythya americana). These specimens were collected in May 1914 from the Bear River Marshes in Box Elder County, Utah.

An enthusiastic team, the "Egg Craters," has been working on rehousing egg sets and nests. Check this site for future installments on their progress.