Page 49 - World of Animals - Issue #39

All about the common ostrich
MATURITY
Reaching adulthood Mating and laying eggs Long lived
Ostriches reach adult height within
the first year of their life. They have
lost their juvenile plumage and
start to look like adult ostriches. between March and September.
044-051_AA Ostrich.indd 49
Feathers
The feathers are very loose and
soft. Unlike most other birds, the
feathers do not hook together and
are not waterproof.
“When running at high
speeds they hold their
wings out and use them
like rudders to balance”
Intestines
When stretched out, their
intestines measure 14 metres
(46 feet) long. This is to increase
the surface area and maximise Why do ostriches have
nutrient absorption. wings if they can’t fly?
It seems pointless for a bird that can’t fly to have wings, but
Feet the ostrich has found other uses for these appendages. When
The ostrich is the only bird on running at high speeds they hold their wings out and use them
Earth with only two toes on like rudders for balance when changing direction suddenly. Even
each foot. Other birds have if ostriches had perfectly developed wings, they would still be
three or four toes to help with unable to fly as they lack a keel on their sternum. This is what
perching and taking flight. As anchors the wing muscles in other birds.
the ostrich doesn’t do either
of those things, two toes Closest family
are perfect for walking and
running. Other running animals Closely related to the common ostrich are…
have a similar arrangement,
including horses, antelopes,
and camels.
Somali ostrich Emu Kiwi
This ostrich was The Australian emu These quirky-looking
previously thought looks extremely animals are native to
to be a subspecies of similar to its African New Zealand and are
the common ostrich, cousin. Emus are the smallest of the
but research has considerably smaller flightless birds. They
determined that it is
lay the largest eggs
than ostriches, at
genetically distinct around 25 per cent the relative to body size of
enough to be classed height, and have three any bird on the planet.
They become sexually mature In the wild, they live for around 40 years. as a separate species. toes rather than two. They can generally
between two to four years old. This is much longer in captivity (up to It can be identified by They belong to the measure around 15
They have the opportunity to mate 70 years) as they are protected against its blue neck, rather same order, but not per cent of the bird’s
disease and predation. than a red one. the same family. body weight.
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