18 surprising curiosities about ostriches
CuriousPlanet collects surprising curiosities about ostriches that you had not been told . These fun facts about ostriches will really impress you.
The ostrich is impressive for its size, its speed and its strong legs. However, there are facts about ostriches that you may not have known.
Curiosities about ostriches
1. The ostrich is known to be the largest flightless bird in the world.
2. The name of this bird comes from the word « estrutz », derived from Latin and Greek. It translates as “sparrow (as big as a) camel.”
3. The kick of an ostrich is capable of killing a lion.
4. An ostrich’s eye is larger than its brain.
5. The ostrich is the only bird with two toes on each foot. These fingers make it easy for you to run. If cornered, they attack with their legs and use their claws as weapons.
6. When they are born they measure between 25 and 30 cm in height and weigh about 900 g . Adult males can reach 2.74 or even 3 meters in height, and weigh around 180 Kg.
7. Thanks to their long, powerful and muscular legs, perfectly adapted to running, they can reach speeds of more than 74 km/h.
8. It has a small head in relation to the body , large eyes that measure five centimeters in diameter and provide excellent eyesight.
9. Their wings do not allow them to fly , as they are too small for it, but they help them to propel themselves and balance when running.
10. Their eggs are the largest of all birds. They can measure up to 20 cm long.
11. In the wild, each female can lay 10 to 15 eggs or even more. However, in captivity, ostriches usually lay about 50 eggs per season.
12. A large ostrich egg can feed 20 people .
13 . An ostrich egg weighs between 1 and 2 kg (equivalent to about twenty-four chicken eggs). They are white or yellowish in color (possibly this prevents them from overheating in the savannah sun).
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14. The incubation period lasts approximately 6 weeks, with the eggs breaking and the chicks hatching on the same day.
15. In the wild they live for around 30 years, but in captivity there are specimens that have reached 100 years.
16. The popular belief that, when faced with danger, the ostrich hides its head under the ground is false . What they do do is lower their heads to ground level to go unnoticed and look like a bush. However, the most common is that they run away or attack with their powerful legs. This same behavior is followed by the chicks when they are in danger. Therefore, the phrase “hide your head like an ostrich” is unfounded.
17. The ostrich is a herbivorous animal with the ability to digest fiber. Some consider it omnivorous, as it can eat small animals and arthropods. It has even been observed consuming carrion remains abandoned by carnivorous animals. In their voracity they can ingest stones, rocks or minerals, which, retained in their body, help to grind food.
18 . They have a big appetite and cannot fast for too long. On the other hand, in the wild they can go for long periods without drinking water , just like camels (check out camel trivia ).
Which of these facts or curiosities about ostriches has surprised you the most?
Anything else…
Here I leave you my recommendation on what other things you can discover in Curious Planet. If you like animals, I encourage you to read 95 curious facts about animals that maybe you didn’t know, also 186 curious facts that you probably didn’t even imagine , and 125 short curious facts that will leave you speechless.
Here are some more ideas: Did you know that Charles Darwin ate the animals he discovered? and Photos that capture the fun side of animals (+15 photos) . You will surely love them.
