Studies on the soft shell membranes of the egg shell of Chelonia mydas L.

Abstract

The soft membrane fibres of the turtle eggshell like their avian counterparts, consist of an electron dense core surrounded by a less dense mantle. In the oviposited egg the core material is homogeneously electron dense while in oviducal eggs it has a pitted appearance. Histochemical analyses indicate that as in the fowl, the fibres are a protein-carbohydrate complex.