Ostrich Power Info

The ostrich is too big to fly but has become so perfectly adapted to high-speed running that it is the fastest creature on two legs. At speeds of up to 70 km/h (44 mph), it can easily outstrip most enemies. Powerful legs, flexible knees and supple, two-toed feet are its adaptations for speed. The ostrich has lost its strong wing feathers, but the male has soft, curling plumes, once much in demand for fashionable hats and boas. Female birds are slightly smaller than males and have brownish plumage and off-white wings and tails. Juveniles are grayish-brown. Ostriches eat mostly plant matter but occasionally feed on small reptiles. They are nomadic, wandering in small groups in search of food. At breeding time, the male collects a harem of 2 to 5 females. One female scrapes a shallow pit in the ground in which to lay her eggs, and the rest of the harem probably uses the same nest. The eggs are the biggest laid by any bird -- the equivalent in volume of about 40 hen's eggs. The male bird takes over the incubation of the eggs at night and shares in the care of the young.

http://mbgnet.mobot.org/sets/grasslnd/animals/ostrich.htm

The ostrich is the world's largest living bird. The ostrich is a flightless bird, but it can run up to speeds of 40 mph. It can sustained this speed up to 30 minutes. The bird is indigenous to Africa and is not an endangered species. The ostrich is the only bird that has two toes on each foot. An ostrich reaches its breeding maturity at about three years of age. An ostrich can live to be about 70 years old. They can weigh from 250 to 400 pounds and stand 6 to 8 feet tall. A hen can lay from 10 to 70 eggs each year. Each egg weighs about three to four pounds and is about 6 inches in diameter. The gestation period is 42 days. An ostrich will yield 70 to 100 pounds of meat, two to four pounds of feathers, and 12-15 square feet of leather. Ostrich do not put their heads in the sand.

Popularity

The word ‘ostrich’ is the 24,638^th most popular word in the English language. That’s way ahead of rival words like ‘orangutan’ at 62,318 or ‘ocelot’ at 78,206. The nearest rival to ‘ostrich’ is ‘bikini’ at 24,639 which, given the amount of porn around these days, is yet another remarkable achievement for our feathered siblings. (Verified by Word Count.)

Fast Facts

• Common name: Ostrich
• Class: Aves
• Order: Struthioniformes
• Family: Struthionidae
• Genus species: Struthio (ostrich) camelus (camel-like)
• Size: approximate height 2.75 m (9 ft.)
• Weight: up to 156.5 kg (345 lb.)
• Description: largest living bird, males are jet black with white plumage and bright red or blue skin; females are fairly uniform in color, with earthy gray- brown plumage and skin color.
• Life span: around 40 years in managed situations, unknown in the wild
• Sexual maturity: 3 to 4 years
• Incubation: around 40 days
• Habitat: common in the wild in East Africa: in open country, desert areas, and dry savannah.
• Diet: bulk of food is vegetation, fruit, seeds, leaves, shoots, shrubs, succulent plants; also invertebrates, occasionally lizards, and other small vertebrates. Stones are ingested to aid in digestion.
• Status: Arabian and West African Ostrich listed as endangered by USFWS; specific populations are protected under CITES.

Fun Facts

One ostrich egg equals up to 24 chicken eggs. And it takes approximately 2 hours to boil! Ostriches can run up to 70 km/hr (40 mph) and can outpace most pursuers, such as lions, leopards, and hyenas. It is the largest and heaviest living bird. It is unable to fly and does not possess a keeled sternum (breastbone) common to most birds. Ostriches stretch out their neck and lay their head on the ground to keep from being seen, hence the myth that ostriches hide in the sand. Ostriches are so powerful that a single kick at a predator, such as a lion, could be fatal. A female ostrich shows a remarkable ability to recognize her own eggs even when mixed in with those of other females in their communal nest.

Ecology and Conservation

Humans have had a close relationship with ostrich for thousands of years. Ancient Egyptians farmed ostrich and present day farming, which began in 1833,is run much the same way. Ostrich feathers have been used for adornment by humans for at least 5000 years and the eggs are still used by Bushmen as jewelry and receptacles for carrying water. Extensive hunting for feathers, meat, and skin coupled with overgrazing by domestic animals on their habitat has lead to the near extinction of the ostrich from the Middle East and North and South Africa. Although they are not globally threatened, the four subspecies of ostrich require strict protection and farming has helped to conserve the wild populations.

Ostriches are a true dinosaur; they have been wandering the earth for at least 70 million years and possibly as many as 120 million years.

http://www.ciwf.co.uk/Trust/FF/farmfacts%20ostriches.htm

The ostrich is too big to fly but has become so perfectly adapted to high-speed running that it is the fastest creature on two legs. At speeds of up to 70 km/h (44 mph), it can easily outstrip most enemies. Powerful legs, flexible knees and supple, two-toed feet are its adaptations for speed. The ostrich has lost its strong wing feathers, but the male has soft, curling plumes, once much in demand for fashionable hats and boas. Female birds are slightly smaller than males and have brownish plumage and off-white wings and tails. Juveniles are grayish-brown. Ostriches eat mostly plant matter but occasionally feed on small reptiles. They are nomadic,  wandering in small groups in search of food. At breeding time, the male collects a harem of 2 to 5 females. One female scrapes a shallow pit in the ground in which to lay her eggs, and the rest of the harem probably uses the same nest. The eggs are the biggest laid by any bird -- the equivalent in volume of about 40 hen's eggs. The male bird takes over the incubation of the eggs at night and shares in the care of the young.

http://mbgnet.mobot.org/sets/grasslnd/animals/ostrich.htm

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/expltx/eft/dinocast/triassic.htm