thin-shelled
3.8
Having a thin shell that is easily broken
- adjective
:
de cáscara delgada
- Farmers learned that the thin-shelled eggs of certain bird species require special handling to prevent them from cracking.
- thin-shelled eggs
Examples
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The conservationists noted that many species of turtles are now threatened due to their thin-shelled eggs being easily destroyed by predators.
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By the late 1960s, raptor populations across the U.S. had collapsed as a result of exposure to the pesticide DDT, which causes females to lay thin-shelled, easily crushable eggs.
Academic text (2009) -
To ensure higher survival rates, researchers are focusing on breeding birds that produce thicker-shelled eggs, as thin-shelled eggs tend to break more easily.
How Thick
Surface Forms
thin-shelled positive
Morphology
Etymology
Thin-shelled combines thin 'not thick' and shell 'a protective covering', like an eggshell, so it literally means 'having a thin shell'. That's why thin-shelled describes animals or eggs whose shells are easy to break.