Ovomorphs (Eggs)

• Height: 3ft 3 ⅓ (100 cm)
• Diameter: 1ft 7 ⅔ (50cm)
• Weight: 56lbs 2.5 oz. (25.5kg)
• Skin Color: Black-brown, black-green

The Kiande Amedha begins as an Ovomorph, which is most typically generated by Queens in their ovipositor and then laid through the trunk-like appendage at the back of the ovipositor. When an Ovomorph is deposited, it already has a fully grown Facehugger.

Ovomorphs have a brown-black and leathery look. Older specimens have a drier, grey-white appearance. The Ovomorph's size varies, ranging from 2.5 to 3 feet tall.

• Kane first characterised the LV-426 Ovomorphs he observed as leathery-looking things. These Ovomorphs stood about 2.5 feet tall and were translucent .
• The Fiorina 161 Ovomorph was more bulbous and smaller.
• In 2004, the Antarctic Ovomorphs stood around three feet tall and were housed in a big chamber of the Hive with the Queen.

Experiments have revealed that it is feasible to drop an Ovomorph from the top of a tall building at Earth's gravity, and it will bounce upon impact with the ground without rupturing or harming the Facehugger within; even at three times Earth's gravity, the Ovomorph will preserve its integrity.

An Ovomorph typically has a single Facehugger, however Queen / Breeding Ovomorphs can have up to four Facehuggers. Ovomorphs , other than a Facehugger, have a mass of flesh and stringy ligaments to sustain the Facehugger.

A Queen-laid Ovomorph can weigh up to 60 pounds on average. An adult Kiande Amedha-laid Ovomorph weighs less than a fourth of that and lives for only a few months. A hot, humid atmosphere appears to be favourable for optimal incubation.

The Ovomorph, like other Kiande Amedha exoskeletons, is formed of polarised silicate, which is exceedingly resistant and resilient, and provides excellent protection for the Facehugger within it over an indeterminate period of time. This strong outer skin is difficult to cut through, and doing so will result in defensive acid spraying out the incision.

Ovomorphs can keep the Facehuggers they contain alive for hundreds, if not thousands, of years without any external nourishment or support. The Nostromo uncovered Ovomorphs that seemed to have been hibernating for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. This might be because it locks most of its energy-generating acid blood into relatively stable salts that degrade extremely slowly over lengthy periods of time.

The Ovomorphs , on the other hand, will die out over time.

• Kane fell and directly struck an Ovomorphwhile exploring the Derelict on LV-426, but it did not react in any manner.
• Similarly, during the Anesidora crew's later research of the same location, three crewmembers were freely roaming the cargo hold near the Ovomorphs, but only one opened and unleashed its Facehugger

This might imply that a large number of the Ovomorphs in the Derelict had perished.

Ovomorphs: Detecting Hosts

The Ovomorphs have a primitive central nervous system in their core, which is connected to a network of thermo- and pressure-sensitive veins that run over their surface. This enables them to detect the presence of a suitable host nearby.

The Ovomorph's skin, like a snake's tongue, may have some kind of sensory mechanism that allows it to "taste" a host from afar.

When a live organism (other than a Kiande Amedha) comes into range, the detecting mechanism is sensitive enough for an Ovomorph to position the Facehugger inside so that it is pointing towards the host, ready to subjugate it, and the Ovomorph can even feel whether a possible host is of a feasible size.

When an Ovomorph senses a host, it releases a catalyst that unlocks the acids bound into the chemical salts, releasing the stored energy. These free acids are transferred to the Facehugger, which only becomes "alive" at this moment, which explains why the Facehugger does not show any evidence of life prior to its emergence. Essentially, the Ovomorph sends its remaining bio-electrical potential to the Facehugger, sacrificing itself so that the Facehugger can quickly become active enough to assault the host.

The four lobes on top of the Ovomorph expand like flower petals just before release, releasing a little quantity of a unique gas. This gas often stops surrounding Ovomorphs from opening for a brief period of time, allowing its own Facehugger to cling onto a host. Following this, more Ovomorphs may open, either in reaction to other possible hosts or the initial target.

As it opened, the Auriga Ovomorphs rippled.

Tests at the V-22 facility by Venture Corporation scientists revealed that an Ovomorph is capable of resealing itself if the lifeform it detects is not appropriate for Chestburster implantation.

Ovomorphs will generate many tendril-like roots that expand from their base over time if they are not disturbed. Although the discovery of live Ovomorphs in nutrient-deficient habitats seems to put doubt on this notion, it is plausible that these roots are for nutrition absorption, similar to plant creatures, to assist the Ovomorph survive itself and the Facehugger inside until a prospective host arrives.

Tendrils, like synapses in brain cells, may be used by Ovomorphs to communicate, especially in large groups of Ovomorphs. The linkages may allow Ovomorphs to communicate with one another about host approaches, or they may even serve as a method for directly sensing hosts (whether through physical contact, or thermal or bio-electric means).

It is unknown if an empty Ovomorph will produce new Facehuggers once the Facehuggers has left the Ovomorph, while the fact that spent Ovomorphs are frequently discovered hollow (as at Hadley's Hope in 2179) and empty appears to rule this out.

Ovomorphs: Variant Egg-Layers

Any adult Kiande Amedha form may lay Ovomorphs, but the Queen is more prolific and efficient, laying with a big ovipositor connected to her. Non-Queen egg-layers include:

• In 2122, Ripley watched the Nostromo Drone attempting to "build" an Ovomorph by "infecting" Dallas, which would then undergo a metamorphosis to change him into an Ovomorph.
• The Gunnison Predalien, thought to be a young Queen, could impregnate victims by regurgitating several Chestbursters embryos into the victim's mouth, eliminating the requirement for Ovomorphs.
• After the Matriarch died in 2189, Specimen 6 gained authority of the Hive, ultimately transforming into a Queen .

Ripley: "But each one of these things comes from an Egg, right? So who's laying these Eggs?"

Bishop: "I'm not sure. It must be something we haven't seen yet." Aliens. 20^th Century Fox. 1986. Movie.

Ovomorphs: Yautja Connection

The Yautja have been seeding planets with Ovomorphs in preparation for the Rite of Passage since at least 10,000 BC.

Adaptive Hyperfertile Ovomorphs

These Ovomorphs are swollen and oversized as they contain multiple Facehuggers. Upon hatching, these Ovomorphs expel their Facehuggers under pressure towards nearby hosts. This also happens at death as the Ovomorph reflexively explodes violently. This way, it can quickly bolster a Hive's numbers.

The Queen keeps in check how many of these Ovomorphs she produces. The Queen instinctively produces more hyperfertile Ovomorphs when the Hive is weak, she makes less when the Hive is strong.

Praetorian Ovomorphs

The Queen can increase the number of Praetorians produced by metamorphosing an Ovomorph into a Praetorian Ovomorph. Praetorian Ovomorphs have a thicker and greener skin than regular Ovomorphs.

The Praetorian Ovomorph gives birth to Praetorian Facehuggers, each of which may develop a Praetorian from any sort of host.

Praetorian Ovomorphs have a thicker and greener skin than regular Ovomorphs.

Queen / Breeding Ovomorphs

When an Ovomorph is fed Royal Jelly, the Facehugger within is transformed into a Queen Facehugger.

Dr. Waidslaw Orona proposed that the Queen might instinctively detect the need to establish new colonies and lay Ovomorphs, which would then be transported from the Queen's chamber and housed somewhere to hatch as Queen-larvae. The drones then serve as hosts for the newly hatched Queen.

"Breeding Eggs" also include Royal Facehuggers who impregnate their hosts with an embryonic Queen. "Breeding Eggs" do not have spots like typical Queen Ovomorphs and hatch unique spotted, spined Facehuggers capable of implanting young Queens in their host.

Ovomorph: Planet 4

Through continuous experiments with the Chemical A0-3959X.91 – 15 pathogen, David8 produced the Ovomorphs seen by the USCSS Covenant's exploring crew on Planet4.