Rachel UR - Time For An Egg Hunt!

Examples of egg cases. The case to farthest
on the right is from the Common skate

       Hello everyone! I know it's been a while sense I've posted on the blog but i'm back and ready to do some hunting. Before we go egg hunting we need to know what we are looking for and where to find it.The picture to the right shows some common egg cases that I might run across. The only one belonging to a skate is the case on the right. This egg case is very similar to the cases that we will be finding out in the field. Speaking of the field, your going to need some basic materials to collect your eggs.



Materials:

1. A stranded ruler
2.  Waterproof Container with freshwater (I will be using a 5 gallon bucket)
3.  1 gallon plastic zip lock bag
4. Field notebook and Pencil
5. Camera

Method:

1.    Before leaving for your search site, fill your waterproof container with freshwater. This container can either be carried with you or left in your car.
2. Once you find an egg case record your environmental conditions and location
3.  Take a picture of the case before collecting it either into your waterproof container or zip lock bag.
4. Put the egg case into the waterproof container with freshwater and let soak for 1-2 hours so they can regain their full shape. (Some larger cases may need to soak for up to 24 hours)
5. Take the egg case out of the bucket and record length of the body, length from horn to horn, and width of the body
6.  Identify the species belonging to the egg and record
7. Set the egg out in the sun for preservation

In my research I ran a cross a website called sharktrust.org and planned to use the ID key that hey had to identify my egg cases. Upon looking further I found that they ID key was for the skate of Great Britain which isn't very useful for me. I am currently looking for another ID key that I can use but I might have to make my own. Happy hunting everyone!