The African ostrich is the largest bird on earth and the only two-toed bird. The African ostrich has a body length of about 183-300 cm, a height of 240-280 cm, and a weight of 130-150 kg. The female bird is slightly smaller. Its body proportions are weird. It is 2.5 meters tall and weighs more than 150kg. It has a 90cm long neck on top of its round body and two 1 meter long thighs on the bottom. The neck, thighs and body are unusually thin and small, like a giant There are three toothpicks stuck in the glutinous rice balls.
The ostrich is the largest bird on earth and a flightless bird. In biological classification, it is the only species in the family Ostrichidae. The male ostrich is 2.5 meters tall and can weigh up to 155kg. Although the female bird is smaller, it can also grow to 1.9 meters and weigh more than 100kg. The ostrich is a walking bird and a ratite bird, so although it has a sternum, the keel is protruding. Not developed.
Historically, the earliest contact between humans and ostriches can be traced back to the ancient Egyptian, Assyrian, and Babylonian eras, when there were records of trading in ostrich feathers.
Ostrich meat is also edible, looks similar to beef, and has a more delicate texture than beef. It is a specialty dish in many high-end restaurants. Ostrich meat is rich in nutrients, high in amino acids, low in calories and cholesterol, and also contains a large amount of iron, zinc and polyunsaturated fatty acids. The iron content of ostrich meat is higher than that of beef of the same quality, and the zinc content is twice that of oysters of the same quality.
Ostriches are also the only two-toed birds in the world. They originally had three toes, but years of running on land have caused their second and third toes to gradually close together, and now only two toes remain. This is also the result of the unique adaptive evolution of ostriches. In order to escape sudden dangers, they must run faster, and sometimes must avoid predators by suddenly changing direction. The steering ability after stopping is better than that of three-toed feet.
Ostriches are distributed across vast areas of Africa, mainly living in savanna areas, and also live in desert areas and desert steppes. There are five wild subspecies of them, among which the Arabian ostrich is extinct, and there is also a domesticated ostrich species.
In the wild, the lifespan of ostriches is about 30-40 years, but ostriches raised in captivity are very long-lived and can live 50-60 years.
Ostriches are good at running. Their thighs are thick and powerful, and their unique two-toed feet allow them to accelerate quickly. Their top speed can reach 65km/h, each step can cover a distance of 6-8 meters, and they have strong endurance and can run continuously for 20-30 minutes.
The main natural enemies of adult ostriches are lions and cheetahs. Because they are very fast and have excellent endurance, many predators fall down from exhaustion before catching the ostrich. For predators, ostriches are an extremely rich meal, but the process of hunting ostriches is also full of dangers, and they can be fatal.
animal tags：
you may also like
The longest living animal on earth is the lighthouse jellyfish. The lighthouse jellyfish is a small jellyfish. The body is bell-shaped, about 4-5 mm in diameter. The body is transparent and the red digestive system can be seen. It looks like a lighthouse, hence its name. The stomach of the li...
In nature, some animals suffer from a rare melanosis, which causes the hair all over their bodies to become pitch black, making them different from their peers. Even though they turn black due to a disease, this unique appearance attracts people's attention. Below, I will list ten rare black...
Woodpeckers are a species of woodpeckers in the order Woodpeckers, and are powerful assistants to afforestation and forestry units in various countries. They are known for hunting pests that harm trees, such as beetles and termites. Therefore, woodpeckers are also nicknamed "tree doctors"....
"Zhaozhao" generally refers to some rituals or measures performed to avoid disasters or protect family peace. In ancient times, people believed that certain places or houses would have feng shui problems, which could lead to unfavorable situations such as illness and poor financial luck. In o...
There are currently more than 3,500 species of snakes known to exist around the world. Populations of some of these species may be very large, while others may be threatened or endangered. According to the Records of Reptiles of China, there are more than 340 species of snakes in my country,...
According to reports, there are currently more than one million known animal species. However, a large number of animals are endangered every year, many of which are caused by human activities. The ten most miserable animals are introduced below. They are the northern white rhinoceros, the Gu...
Most warm-blooded animals like humans have poor hunger tolerance and need three meals a day. But there are some animals in the world that are very resistant to hunger. When people mention animals that are not afraid of hunger, camels often come to mind, but is this really the case? Today, we will in...
Crickets are ancient insects with a history of at least 140 million years. In ancient and modern times, crickets were used as objects for cricket fights. Especially in ancient my country, cricket fighting skills were once very popular. But do you know which species of cricket is the most prec...
Email: jsset#163.com (change # to @) Please indicate your purpose of visit! Guangdong ICP No. 2022053326 XML| map| Chinese
