Turtle Shell Incubator Mistery

[Ilian Velikov]

This was posted on Fiel Herp Forum. It's a very interesting find but so far nobody could explain what the eggs are from and how and why were they there. What do you guys think?

http://www.fieldherpforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=24121

[Mario Schweiger]

I read all posts, but for me these a Sternotherus eggs. They dont look like snake eggs (calcified, hard shell) and the size and amount would fit also to musk turtles.
For example: S. minor eggs are up to 3 x nearly 2 cm and up to 3 or 4 are laid. The female turtle is just a bit larger than 10 - 11 cm.

[Ilian Velikov]

They dont look like snake eggs (calcified, hard shell) and the size and amount would fit also to musk turtles.
For example: S. minor eggs are up to 3 x nearly 2 cm and up to 3 or 4 are laid. The female turtle is just a bit larger than 10 - 11 cm.

I agree with all of this but how would you explain the level of decomposition of the turtle (literally nothing but the shell is left from it, not even bones)versus the fresh looking eggs. And the guy who found them says there was yellow stuff leaking from one of them?

[Frédéric Seyffarth]

Stunned discovery...
Perhaps the turtle died and then some ants ate all the "soft" parts and let the harder ones...? I know that they can clean some bones perfectly.