Common ostrich - Wikipedia
The Ostrich , Struthio camelus, is a large flightless bird native to Africa and formerly the Middle East. It is the only living species of its family, Struthionidae and its genus, Struthio. Ostriches share the order Struthioniformes with the Emu , kiwis , and other ratites. The Ostrich is the largest living species of bird and lays the largest egg of any bird. The diet of the Ostrich mainly consists of plant matter, though it also eats insects. It lives in nomadic groups which contain between five and fifty birds. When threatened, the Ostrich will either hide itself by lying flat against the ground, or will run away.
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If cornered, it can attack with a kick from its powerful legs. Mating patterns differ by geographical region, but territorial males fight for a harem of two to seven females. The Ostrich is farmed around the world, particularly for its feathers, which are decorative and are also used for feather dusters. Its skin is used for leather and its meat marketed commercially.
The feathers of adult males are mostly black, with white at the ends of the wings and in the tail. Females and young males are greyish-brown and white. The head and neck of both male and female Ostriches is nearly bare, with a thin layer of down.
Legs Made for Running
The long neck and legs keeps their head at 1. The eyes are shaded from sun light falling from above. Their skin is variably colored depending on the sub-species.
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The male tarsus has red horn plates, while the female's are black. The strong legs of the Ostrich, like other birds, are scaled and unfeathered. The bird has just two toes on each foot most birds have four , with a nail on the larger, inner toe resembling a hoof. The outer toe lacks a nail. This is an adaptation unique to Ostriches that appears to aid in running.
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The wings reach a span of over about two meters over six feet and are used in mating displays and to shade chicks. The wing feathers lack the tiny hooks that lock together the smooth wing feathers of flying birds, an are soft and fluffy and serve as insulation. They have tail feathers, and their wings have 16 primary, four alular and secondary feathers.
The Ostrich's sternum is flat, lacking the keel to which wing muscles attach in flying birds. The beak is flat and broad, with a rounded tip. Like all ratites , the Ostrich has no crop, and it also lacks a gallbladder. Unlike all other living birds, the Ostrich secretes urine separately from feces. They also have unique pubic bones that are fused to hold their gut. Their palate is different than other ratites , in that the sphenoid and palatal bones are unconnected.
At sexual maturity two to four years , male Ostriches can be between 1. Some analyses indicate that the Somali Ostrich may be better considered a full species, but there is not consensus among experts about this. As of Birdlife. Hybridization with the subspecies that evolved southwestwards of its range, S.
This population disappeared in the later half of the 20th century. There were 19th century reports of the existence of small Ostriches in North Africa; these are referred to as Levaillant's Ostrich Struthio bidactylus but remain a hypothetical form not supported by material evidence. The earliest fossil of Ostrich-like birds is the Palaeotis living near the Asiatic steppes,[5] from the Middle Eocene, a middle-sized flightless bird that was originally believed to be a bustard.
Apart from this enigmatic bird, the fossil record of the Ostriches continues with several species of the modern genus Struthio which are known from the Early Miocene onwards. While the relationship of the African species is comparatively straightforward, a large number of Asian species of Ostrich have been described from fragmentary remains, and their interrelationships and how they relate to the African Ostriches is confusing. In China, Ostriches are known to have become extinct only around or even after the end of the last ice age; images of Ostriches have been found there on prehistoric pottery and petroglyphs.
There are also records of Ostriches being sighted on islands of the Indian Ocean and when discovered on the island of Madagascar the sailors of the 18th century referred to them as Sea Ostriches, although this has never been confirmed. Several of these fossil forms are ichnotaxa that is, classified according to the organism's footprints or other trace rather than its body and their association with those described from distinctive bones is contentious and in need of revision pending more good material.
Ostriches formerly occupied Africa north and south of the Sahara, East Africa, Africa south of the rain forest belt, and much of Asia Minor. Today Ostriches prefer open land and are native to the savannas and Sahel of Africa, both north and south of the equatorial forest zone. In Southwest Africa they inhabit the semidesert or true desert.
Ostrich leg stock photos
The Arabian Ostriches in the Near and Middle East were hunted to extinction by the middle of the 20th century. Ostriches normally spend the winter months in pairs or alone. A further strategy for reducing lower-leg mass involves specialised toe morphology and positioning. This can also be observed in other cursorial animals; modern horses, for example, have evolved from five-toed ancestors to gallop on the toenail of their middle toe — the hoof.
The ostrich has undergone a similar evolution: Furthermore, it is the only bird to walk on the tips of its toes. I wondered how this, the largest and heaviest living bird, manages to balance and grip at high-speed on tiptoe. Since there is no established method for investigating toe function in live birds, I used a pressure plate, commonly used by orthopaedists to analyse pressure distribution in human feet. This showed that the big toe supports the majority of the body mass while the smaller toe prevents the ostrich from losing its balance by acting as an outrigger, especially during slow walking.
My research has gone a long way to improve our understanding of how the ostrich runs so fast for so long. Now that we understand these biomechanical strategies, perfected over 60 million years of evolution, we may be able to adapt them in modern technologies such as bipedal robotics, suspension systems, and joint-stabilisation engineering. After finishing her biology studies at the University of Heidelberg, Germany, Nina Schaller volunteered at the Frankfurt Zoo where an exceptionally friendly ostrich sparked her interest in this unique terrestrial vertebrate.
For the past nine years, she has studied the unparalleled running performance of the largest living bird. She hand-raised ostriches and collaborated with universities and research institutions in Antwerp, Belgium; Vienna, Austria; Frankfurt and Munich, Germany; and Toronto, Canada. Linear leg segment lengths; n indicates number of specimens examined. Swinging portion of the leg: Thigh bone held horizontally: Wikimedia Commons The greater roadrunner, Geococcyx californianus Image courtesy of Back1a5h; image source: Comparative anatomy of human and ostrich legs: Its actual knee joint, hidden under plumage, is permanently flexed and connects to the hip joint through a short, horizontal thigh bone.
Red lines connect anatomically equivalent joints; green lines connect functionally equivalent joints. In the ostrich, muscle mass is concentrated at the top of the leg, while long tendons prevail in the lower regions. If you've ever seen an ostrich, then you know that it is one strange looking bird! Find out why this big bird's long, muscular legs and unusual wings make it more at home on the ground than in the air.
The Speedy Ostrich What type of bird would you not want to challenge to a running race? Ostriches are the largest birds in the world. Legs Made for Running Did you know that most ostriches are taller than a lot of professional basketball players, who range in height from feet? Their long legs are great for running.
Ostrich Facts: The World's Largest Bird
Flightless Wings What would you use wings for if you were a bird that couldn't fly? Try it risk-free No obligation, cancel anytime. Want to learn more? Select a subject to preview related courses: Neck and Head Can you imagine having a neck that is longer than your leg! Ostriches have big eyes and a beak that can open up wide! Lesson Summary An ostrich is a large, flightless bird that is a fast runner. Register to view this lesson Are you a student or a teacher?
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