MadSci Network: General Biology
Query:

Re: how can a chicken inside the egg know, where is up?

Date: Wed May 16 22:08:17 2001
Posted By: Amanda Kahn, Grad student, neuroscience, UCSF
Area of science: General Biology
ID: 985008935.Gb
Message:

Hi Christl --

Great question!  I asked my colleagues next door in a developmental biology 
lab how a chick knows which way is up, and they agreed that gravity was the 
answer, somehow.  

The details were supplied by an article on the National Wildlife Federation 
website.  As the chick grows, the air space remaining at the top of the egg 
decreases, while the chick occupies the lower portions of the egg.  In the 
days prior to hatching, the chick assumes a position with its head tucked 
under one shoulder.  Head movements oriented towards the diminishing air 
supply eventually result in contact with the shell, and further pecking 
movements.

See this article for a more detailed answer: http://www.nwf.org/intlwild/eggs.html

Cheers,
Amanda Kahn
amandak@phy.ucsf.edu



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