OSTRICHES
Bird      -      Vertebrate    -     Omnivore
Male:  Cock
Female:  Hen
Young:  Chick, Hatchling
​OSTRICHES
  • Ostriches are the tallest and heaviest bird..
  • Do not bury their heads in the sand.
  • Belong to a group of flightless birds known as Ratites.
  • Other Ratites include Kiwis, Cassowaries and Rheas.
  • Have long, strong legs for running.
  • It can run faster than a horse, at about 40 miles an hour for a short distance.
  • Males can roar like lions.
  • Cannot fly.
  • Have a very strong kick.
  • Have two toes on each foot.
  • When in danger, it will lie low to hide, stretching its neck along the ground.
  • Eat grasses, shrubs, seeds, roots, leaves, flowers, locusts and grasshoppers - occasionally, they may eat lizards and mice.
  • Eat small stones and sand to help grind up the food in their digestive system.
  • Don't need to drink as they make their own water internally.
  • Have the largest eyes of any land animal.
  • All the females lay their eggs in the nest of the dominant female.
  • The dominant female's eggs are laid in the centre of the nest which protects them.
  • The nest may have 15-60 eggs in it.
  • Eggs hatch after about 40 days.
  • An egg is as big as 24 chicken eggs.
  • Its egg is bigger than its brain.
  • Its eye is bigger than its brain.
  • It takes an hour to soft-boil an Ostrich egg.
  • It takes an hour and a half to hard boil an Ostrich egg.
  • Live between 30 - 40 years.
  • Can kill a lion with a single blow.
  • An Ostrich could run the London Marathon in 45 minutes.
  • Can be trained to herd sheep.
  • Have a 46 foot long small intestine,
  • Can live up to 75 years.
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Picture
OSTRICH EGG AND CHICKEN EGG