Did you know that an ostrich’s eye is bigger than his brain? Or that he is the biggest bird on our planet and that he can’t fly? Let’s find out what else is interesting about this huge bird.
Zoomies
Ostriches are fast. They can run up to 70km/h and they can reach 5m in one stride – no wonder they are so fast. Their long, skinny legs have very little wind resistance, and their long, sharp claws dig deep into the ground. They send up grass and dust clouds that almost resemble those of the Roadrunner cartoon. They also use their wings to balance while running, and, although they are the fastest running birds, they sure look funny when they run.
How heavy can you be?
It is easy to lay the biggest egg when you are the biggest bird, but do you know how big their eggs are? An ostrich egg is bigger than an adult man’s hand at 13cm and can hold about two dozen chicken eggs! An ostrich egg weighs 1.4kg – that is just one egg! The alpha female can lay up to 11 eggs, while the other females in the herd lay up to six eggs.
False information
We all know the saying that ostriches hide by burying their faces in the sand. But that is not true. When they cannot run away and must hide, they do it differently from what we see on television. An ostrich places his neck and head flat on the ground. He blends in with his environment, and this makes him hard to see. But in the end, an ostrich prefers to run away from threats.
Strictly come dancing
Ostriches have some crazy, cool dancing skills. The male ostrich will dance to attract a female ostrich (hen) to gain her favour. He will use all kinds of crazy dance moves to attract attention. He will swing his head, jump up and down and flutter his wings. He will then show her the beautiful nest that he has made, and she will then decide if she thinks he will make a good dad.
