Amazing facts about Ostriches
Amazing facts about Ostriches: Ostriches are rare, large, flightless birds with two species: the common ostrich and the Somali ostrich. They are the heaviest and largest birds, weighing between 63.5 and 145 kg and laying the biggest eggs of any land animal.
Here are a few other facts about ostriches:
They are predominantly native to Africa.
They are the biggest birds in the world.
They can be as tall as 8.9 feet / 2.7m.
They can weigh over 330 lbs / 150kg.
This bird cannot fly.
A male ostrich will dance to impress the ladies.
In the wild, they can live up to 30-40 years.
Males having mostly black feathers, these black feathers are brown on females.
Ostriches are mainly vegetarian, eating roots, leaves, flowers and seeds. But they will also eat insects, lizards and other small creatures, too.
They lay the largest eggs in the world, averaging around 5.9 inches / 15 cm long and weighing up to 3.3 pounds / 1.5 kg!
Under normal circumstances they lay between 12-18 eggs, on farms this number might be higher.
It takes around 42 days for the eggs to hatch.
Little fun facts: ostriches don’t put their head in the sand as you see in cartoons, that’s a myth.
The reserve we live in doesn’t have any ostriches; the photos I am showing you are from other reserves.
Fast runners, they can reach speeds of 70 km/h. Ostriches are farmed worldwide, with major industries in countries such as South Africa, Philippines, and Namibia. Ostrich products include leather, feathers, eggs, meat, and oil made from their fats. They mainly inhabit parts of sub-Saharan Africa.
Most birds generally have 3 or 4 toes, but surprisingly, the ostrich has only 2, which has surprised many nature lovers especially ornithologists. This looks so strange but that’s reality. Moreover, research shows that some ostriches are big in size and others are much smaller, depending on the species and the location.
Amazing facts about Ostriches: Their toes and nails are very unique, similar to those of a prehistoric dinosaur. If you are keen enough, you wouldn’t prefer to be kicked with one of its feet. This foot is strong and a little protruding, commonly used for taking deadly kicks, especially when attacked by predators, which tend to devour its hatchlings and eggs.
Additionally, those long, muscular legs are vital for something crucial; the ostrich can run at a speed of more than 70km per hour (40 mph) on land, faster than any other bird on earth. Therefore, humans, you are advised not to even think of outrunning an ostrich!
What is more interesting is that ostriches can be really aggressive; they are fast, strong, and quite scary, and have a very stunning look. All this combined makes an ostrich a perfect guard animal.
How important are Ostriches?
Amazing facts about Ostriches: Ostriches are used by farmers to protect their livestock or by other people to protect their property against unwanted visitors! They make great guard animals especially to farmers.
Although they are rare species to see in most of the protected areas especially in semi arid and savannah parks, they attract attention for most nature lovers due to their stature, characteristics and behaviours in relation to other bird species.
