Eggs-tra eggs-tra, read all about it

Let's get cracking

Whose eggs are these Rangers egg-citedly giving a helping hand to?

Shell-ebrate if you guessed marine turtle.

During the 2024–2025 turtle nesting season, Ranger Cathy and the team at Mon Repos Conservation Park relocated over 700 marine turtle nests.

This preventative measure ensured nests were protected from erosion or tidal flooding.

With an average of 127 eggs per nest, that's a fighting chance for a whole lot of hatchlings!

Eggs-amine closely and see if you can guess who laid these eggs?

These are the eggs of the copper-backed broodfrog (Pseudophryne raveni), protected within parks and forests from Nerang to west of Mackay.

Endemic to Queensland, the female lays their eggs in one small cluster on land, under moist leaf litter, rocks, logs or sedges.

The male, pictured below, guards the nest.

When rain floods the nest, tadpoles are washed into nearby bodies of water.

Who is sssslithering out of these eggs-quisite eggs?

It's a baby white-crowned snake (Cacophis harriettae).

Only growing to 40cm in length, they are venomous but not considered dangerous.

Protected within parks and forests from Rockhampton in Queensland to north-eastern New South Wales, including Conway, Eungella, Conondale, Eurimbula and Great Sandy national parks.

A local to many Queensland parks and forests camping areas, which well-loved feathery friend do these eggs belong to?

The conspicuous bush stone-curlew, Burhinus grallarius, lay these speckly eggs.

Campers have no doubt heard their eerie, high-pitched wailing while curled up in your tent at night.

But did you know that the call of these nocturnal birds is used to contact other curlews, and several birds could all join in the chorus?

Laying 1 to 3 eggs in a shallow scrape on the ground, both adults take turns sitting on the eggs and caring for their young.

While out on their patch, Rangers are always egg-static to make new discoveries.

These tiny round eggs from a sap-feeding insect are an egg-citing find.

Can you crack the mystery of who they belong to?

These little balls are the eggs of a shield bug.

Several species of shield bugs, like this one (Oncoscelis australasiae), are known to show unusual maternal care, protectively hovering over their eggs until they hatch.

Eggs-actly which creature scuttled out of this egg-cellent sac?

Yes, it was a bunch of spiders, huntsman spiders to be eggs-act.

Mumma huntsman was long gone by the time Rangers found her egg sac, but they were egg-static to see the tiny pale brown remnants of the spiderlings first molt.

Huntsman spiders lay up to 200 eggs in these flat, oval egg sacs of papery silk.

In many species, the female will stand guard over the sac, without eating for about 3 weeks until they hatch.

If you're visiting one of our coastal or marine parks you may spot the high-flier who lays these eggs.

Do you know who we're talking about?

The eastern osprey (Pandion haliaetus cristatus) is the raptor species who lays these eggs.

Osprey nests can be up to 2m wide and made of sticks, driftwood and seaweed, and they're known to return and use the same nest for many years.

Females will sit on 2–3 eggs while the male brings her food.

The chicks will stay with their mum for around 9 weeks until they learn to fly.

Protected areas protect wildlife. Next time you’re exploring Queensland’s national parks and forests, look high and low, you may just see some eggs, you never know.