The female Macaroni penguin lays two eggs every year, the first one much smaller than the second. This has puzzled scientists for six decades, particularly as the mother kicks the tiny egg out of the nest before it hatches.
But they think that the reason that the reason for the lack of size for the first egg is a drop in the amount of protein as the penguin returns to land from the sea. Also, if the egg is laid within days of arrival to land, the egg will be tiny, maybe even half the size of the second egg. And if the couple wait longer, the egg will be closer to the size of the next egg, though it will still be kicked out.
But why the female Macaroni penguin bothers to produce the small egg in the first place is still a mystery. Scientists believe that it may be a part of evolution gone wrong.
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