Micro-Focus X-Ray Tomography Study of the Microstructure and Morphometry of the Eggshell of Ostriches (Struthio Camerus)

In ostrich husbandry, economic losses have mainly been attributed to low hatchability of eggs, which has mostly been attributed to the structure of the eggshell. The main aim of this study was to investigate the morphology and the morphometry of the ostrich eggshell using micro-focus X-ray computer tomography and scanning electron microscopy. The mean weight and volume of the eggs were 1,312 ± 56SE g and 1,333 ± 44SE cm³, respectively. The mean thickness and the mean surface area of the eggshell was 1.83 ± 0.10SE mm and 619 ± 15SE cm² respectively and the mean total number of pores in the shell was 40,596 ± 1832SE. No significant correlations were found between the thickness of the shell and the weight of the eggs, the volume of the egg and the thickness of the shell, the diameter of the pores and the number of pores, the volume of the pores and the number of pores or the surface area of the pores and the number of pores. The mean diameters of the pores on the blunt (air cell) − (0.02 ± 0.04SE mm) and the sharp (0.26 ± 0.36SE mm) parts of the eggshell were significantly different (P = 0.0001) while the mean volumes and the surface areas of the pores in these parts were not significantly different (P = 0.203 and P = 0.089, respectively). The sizes of the pores differed in different parts of the eggshell, which consisted mainly of tightly arranged mammillary cones that that fused to the palisade columns. The external surface of the ostrich eggshell was covered by a cuticle. Anat Rec, 299:1015–1026, 2016.