Cool Facts About Ostrich

Ostriches are the only remaining specie of ancient birds on the globe. They are native to Africa and roam in African savannahs and desert lands. Ostiches have long neck and legs. Their legs are so strong that they can hit even a lion with great force. Ostriches are flightless birds, but they can run very fast with the help of their strong legs; this is the reason why they have been names as “born to run”. Their sense of sight and hearing is so strong that they can sense threat from a long distance. In defence, an ostrich lowers itself and stretches its neck along the ground. Diet of an ostrich includes plants, fruits, insects, and rodents. They dig their nest in the ground. Their feathers are used for decorative purposes and as feather dusters. Its skin is used to create leather products. They are farmed all around the world for commercial purposes. Let us check out some of the facts about the ancient and biggest bird in the world.

Fast Facts 

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Struthioniformes
Family: Struthionidae
Genus: Struthio
Species: S. camelus
Origin: Africa
Diet: Omnivore
Natural Habitat: Savannahs and Sahel of Africa
Life Span: 30 to 40 years
Age of Maturity: 3 to 4 years
Weight: 220 to 350 lbs (100 to 160 kg)
Gestation Period: 42 days 

Interesting And Fun Facts About Ostrich 

• Male ostrich is known as cock and female one is known as hen.
• Ostrich is the largest egg laying bird in the world and its egg weighs around 1600 grams.
• All the birds around the world have three to four toes, while ostrich is the only bird that has two toes.
• An ostrich is the fastest running bird in the world. It has been ranked second among all living creatures. Its speed can range between 48 km per hour to 64 km per hour, depending upon the distance travelled.
• The long legs of ostrich help it in making a long stride; they can cover a distance of 16 feet in a single stride.
• An ostrich can lay 60 eggs per year.
• The male and female ostrich incubate the eggs one by one. Female ostrich sits on them in the morning while male ostrich incubates them during night.
• The leather produced from an ostrich’s skin is among the strong and durable ones.
• Ostrich’s eyes are two inches large and they considered as the largest eyes among all land vertebrates.
• On an average, the length of an ostrich egg is 6 inch and its width is 5 inch.
• The length of an ostrich’s intestine is 46 feet, which is twice as long as that of human beings.
• Ostrich never drinks water as it is produced inside its body. Moreover, the water is even extracted from vegetables that it eats.
• Ostriches don’t have teeth, so they eat small pebbles to get an aid in processing their food.
• Brain of an ostrich is smaller than its eyes.
• The immune system of a fully grown ostrich is extremely good.
• Ostrich was also used as a mode of transport in the past. The Egyptian queen Arsinoe rode ostrich with a saddle.
• All the hens lay their eggs in the nest of dominant hen, with her eggs at the prominent position. Then the male ostrich and dominant female ostrich incubate and protect all the eggs.
• The hatched chicks of an ostrich are feathered and they start walking with their parents from the first day. Their parents cuddle them under their wings in order to save them from heat and rain.
• In favourable conditions, a female ostrich can lay 25-35 eggs.
• Starting from the middle of March till the middle of August, an ostrich can lay one egg everyday.
• Elephant bird ofMadagascar(extinct) and the giant moa ofNew Zealand(extinct) were the only birds whose eggs were larger than ostrich’s eggs.
• The span of ostrich’s wings is about 7 feet. These long wings are used to provide shade to the chicks and in mating displays.
• Various fossils of Ostrich-like birds have been discovered from Asia andAfrica, for example, palaeotis near the Asiatic steppes.
• Images of ostriches are found on prehistoric pottery and petroglyphs ofChina. These evidences prove that in the prehistoric period, China was home to ostriches, which became extinct at the end of last ice age.
• Africa, southern Sahara desert, southern part of the Africa rainforest belt, and Asia minor used be the main habitats of ostriches, but today ostriches prefer savannahs and Sahel of Africa.
• The ostriches found in the Middle Eastbecame extinct in the 20^th century due to hunting.
• Ostriches prefer to live in a nomadic group of 50 birds during breeding season and often travel with other grazing animals for food search.
• Ostrich has the ability to tolerate different temperature levels. It takes the help of its wings to release and conserve heat inside the body. In case of low temperatures, it covers the naked skin of upper legs with its wings in order to conserve heat; while in high temperatures, it leaves the area bare to release heat.
• The most common predators of an ostrich are cheetahs, lions, leopards, african hunting dogs, and spotted hyena; while jackals, mongoose, birds of prey, and vultures hunt for nests and young ostriches.
• The eggshells of ostrich were used as water containers by hunter-gatherers of Kalahari desert.
• Ostriches were used in venation games or cooking during the roman era.
• Ostriches are used for racing in some countries of Africa. Just like horses, they are also ridden with special saddles, reigns, and bits.