Daily Mail Reporter *First the shell begins to crack. Then there's a flurry of activity as the tiny creature curled up *
*inside the egg breaks a hole in the shell. * *Next, a scaly, pink foot emerges, flailing wildly, before - bit by bit - the miniature damp bundle * *bursts forth from the broken shell, making its appearance in the world for the very first time. * *These extraordinary sets of pictures show the young of four different species hatching * *from their eggs. * Ostrich... [image: Ostrich: It's not like breaking into a chocolate Easter egg - it's a lot tougher] [image: Ostrich] *Phew: It's not like breaking into a chocolate Easter egg - it's a lot tougher and requires a sheer muscle power* [image: ...and after a short rest, it's off to explore. After all, no good having one's head in the sand] *...and after a short rest, it's off to explore. After all, no good having one's head in the sand* *Titled 'Escape Into Life', the series records the first moments of a newborn chick, the young of the African penguin * *(whose eggs are laid in caves padded with feathers and bits of wood), the ostrich (which breaks the shell not by * *pecking, but expanding the muscles of its throat) and, finally, the red footed tortoise (seen here popping out of its * *shell with mouth wide open as if in astonished rapture at what it can see). * *The work of husband and wife team Heidi and Hans-Juergen Koch from Germany(who have specialised in animal * *photography for the past 20 years) they are the result of many days and weeks of patient observation - and provide * *a fascinating pictoral record of four creatures arriving into the world. * African penguin... [image: Ostrich: It's not like breaking into a chocolate Easter egg - it's a lot tougher] [image: ...and after a short rest, it's off to explore. After all, no good having one's head in the sand] *Cracked it: My approach is to peck the shell into tiny pieces - from the inside out* *[image: ...so that I'm soon ready for action in anyone's book. Penguin books, even]* *...so that I'm soon ready for action in anyone's book. Penguin books, even* Tortoise... [image: Tortoise] [image: Ostrich: It's not like breaking into a chocolate Easter egg - it's a lot tougher] *Escape claws: 150 days after the egg is laid, a scaly red foot emerges* [image: Tortoise] *...and after being buried in the sand for so long, it's clearly turtley exciting to be here!* Chicken... [image: Chicken] [image: Chicken] *Hen-pecked: Domestic chickens chip around the shell to remove the cap * [image: Chicken] *Still wet: I may look bedraggled, but within minutes I'll look like your classic fluffy chick* *-- ~~~Whatever mountains stands in your path, Whatever obstacle blocks your way, Whatever difficulty immobilized you, The prayer full of faith can remove it~~~. ~~~Thank you for being a part of my life, whether you were a reason, a season or a lifetime.~~~ [email protected]~~~ [email protected]~~~ *
