This is a persistent issue with crayfish observations: a crayfish is found with eggs attached to the underside of the tail. The observer photos the eggs, but doesn’t provide photos that allow the organism to be identified. Observations of egg production are very valuable if the species is known, but pretty much useless if the species can’t be identified. I’m sure this issue applies to many other organisms as well.
I feel quite stupid so please be kind if this question sounds silly; I have no training whatsoever and learn through observation and the kindness of commenters as I go.
Other than birds, do very many organisms remain in close enough proximity to their eggs once produced for this to be feasible?
(If so, I am realizing I may have wasted weeks of my life staking out clutches of insect eggs to see what hatched.)
Not a large proportion of other organisms, but add them up and it would be a large number. Many Crustacea carry their eggs and in some cases (Daphnia) their young. Some spiders carry their eggs and a few beetles do. No doubt other folks will add to the list.
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It depends very much on the species. Many species care for their young for more or less time, but many others lay their eggs and leave. In invertebrates I would say that the predominant strategy is laying eggs and leaving. They may lay them somewhere in a suitable site in the field, for example a butterfly finds a tasty plant for its future caterpillars, oviposits and leaves. They also may prepare a nest beforehand, for example the solitary bees which prepare a place where they gather nectar and pollen, lay eggs and leave only when they complete this task. So it is possible to find a nest under construction, and observe (and identify) the female owner. But there are also species which don’t leave their progeny, such as abovementioned crayfish, some spiders which guard or carry their cocoons, or bumblebees and earwigs which feed their larvae. Anyway, if you found “abandoned” eggs somewhere, is very likely they belonged to species which doesn’t care for them.
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Some mollusks (notably, octopuses) care for their eggs and some carry their eggs around with them. Here’s a photo of Mazatlania fulgurata with attached egg capsules:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/252283773
There are a fair number of bivalves that brood their developing embryos inside the branchial chamber.
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i wonder if sometimes folks are capturing the adult in a separate observation? (this would be in line with the idea of 1 individual per observation and would allow photos to be more properly annotated.)
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Sort of like when you photograph a possum with babies on her back, you should crop it in such a way that each individual gets its own photo.
if you’re highlighting the absurdity of 1 individual per observation in some cases, i don’t disagree with the sentiment, but it is the official guidance from iNat, and some folks may adhere to that guidance relatively strictly.
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They are not.
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