Hold on for One More Day: Energetic Costs of Oviductal Egg Retention in Eastern Musk Turtles ().

AbstractIn oviparous reptiles, parental care is often limited to the energy allocated to embryos before oviposition. Reproducing females can allocate energy toward vitellogenesis, determining the number and size of eggs, fertilization, eggshell calcification, retention of eggs within the oviduct after fertilization (oviductal egg retention), and nesting activities. Oviductal egg retention in turtles ranges from 2 wk to half a year, permitting flexibility in the timing of oviposition.