Why Do Turtle and Tortoise Eggs Fail to Hatch?

Why do some turtle and tortoise eggs never hatch, and what can those unsuccessful eggs tell us about the future of endangered species?

Alessia Lavigne, a PhD student in the University of Sheffield’s School of Biosciences, is developing new ways to investigate why turtle and tortoise eggs fail to develop.

Using microscopy and dissection, Alessia examines undeveloped eggs to identify what went wrong. An egg may have failed because it was never fertilised or because the embryo died at a very early stage. Being able to tell the difference can help researchers understand why hatching success is low in some populations.

This information could be particularly important for conservation. Turtles and tortoises are facing an extinction crisis, with more than half of the group under threat. Understanding the causes of poor hatching success can give conservationists better information about the challenges a population is facing and how it might be protected.

In this video, Alessia also discusses presenting her research through Pint of Science, which gives people the chance to hear about current research in an informal pub setting and discover what scientists are working on.