Egg Geometry--Shape of Eggs in Oviparous Humanoids

What shape would the eggs of a species of oviparous humanoids be?

Eggs are common enough that you'd be hard-pressed to find someone who hasn't seen one. While birds' eggs are often thought of more frequently, a wide variety of eggs exist and are in use by various species around the world.

However, something worth noting is the shape eggs take on in relation to the parent species and environment. True spheres have no strengths or weaknesses because the pressure applied to one point is distributed evenly across the surface of the object. As anyone who's seen even the roundest eggs will tell you though, eggs are not true spheres. In fact, what most people think of as eggs are more oval in shape. This is believed to prevent them from rolling away--which would occur with truly spherical eggs--while also making it easier to get the eggs out of the body because of the tapered end at the top. However, this phenomenon is not often observed in species that nest in holes or other cavities, whose eggs tend to be more spherical, though this most likely has to do with decreased risk of rolling away in a closed area.

With that in mind, I am looking to determine the shape of the eggs that would come from a species with the following traits:

• Plantigrade, bipedal humanoids
• Hole-nesters
• Lays hard-shelled eggs, one per clutch

The reproductive method is thought to be something resembling a cloaca, but alternative methods are welcome. The color and size of these eggs are also not a required part of the question, but if you feel you can tackle those as well, have at it.

posted over 6 years ago

Pleiades‭

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