DID YOU KNOW?
THE ostrich belongs to a family of birds called ratites, which includes rhea, emu, cassowary, and kiwi. Ratites are unique because they have:
• tiny or non-existent clavicles (wishbones);
• flat breast bones
• tiny, stunted wings that don't support flight.
OSTRICHES are the largest and fastest birds living on Earth today. In short bursts they can reach 70km/h. They can run much longer distances at around 50km/h, as fast as a racehorse carrying a jockey. They can cover 5-6m in one stride at that speed, the length of a stationwagon.
THEIR eggs are enormous, weighing 1-1.3kg or about the same as 24 chicken eggs. Hens lay in communal nests, which hold up to 60 eggs. Males and females take turns sitting over 42-46 days.
IF YOU crack an ostrich egg and cook it – you need a big frying pan – they're said to taste similar to chicken eggs but richer and more buttery. If boiled, the white is more rubbery.
THE ostrich has the largest eye of any land animal, 5cm across. It means they're often the first animal in a wild setting to spot predators.
A CHICK weighs around 1kg when it hatches and stands 25cm tall. At one year, it will weigh about 100kg; by the time it's mature at three years, it will be close to 3m tall and weigh 160-180kg.
OSTRICHES are farmed for their eggs, meat, and feathers. Their skin is used to produce a naturally oily leather, said to be six times stronger than cattle hides, and more supple and durable.
OSTRICHES don't bury their heads in sand when scared. Their first response is to run, but they may also lay flat to the ground and freeze (hide). The myth may have started when people saw hens digging nests, turning their eggs, or pushing their faces into the sand to find stones.
OSTRICH feathers are soft, shaggy, and hang loosely, unlike those of other birds, which naturally hook together to help support flight.
OSTRICHES uses their wings to balance while running, lowering and raising wings to change direction quickly.