Amazing Ostrich Facts
Amazing Ostrich Facts
1. An ostrich is a bird. It is classified as a bird because it has wings, it is warm blooded, ( Warm blooded means its body temp. stays the same.) it breathes with lungs, it is covered in feathers, and its babies are hatched from eggs. An ostrich has long stable legs. Its head sits on a tall smooth neck. An ostrich is a vertebrate. This means that an ostrich has a backbone (a spine). That’s all the classification for an ostrich!
2. Ostriches live on the plains of the North-West, East and the South of Africa. When you find them they might be running around or sticking their head in the sand because they’re scared! That is where ostriches live!
3. Ostriches eat insects and small animals. This makes ostriches omnivore. As an adult an ostrich cannot be eaten, but as a baby chick wild dogs, hyenas, and large birds of prey eat baby chicks. The adults follow zebras into the plains to eat. That is all the food and feeding facts for an extraordinary ostrich!
2nd The baby chick inside the egg stays in the egg for 6 weeks.
Soon the baby chick starts trying to crack the egg.
But since the egg is so big it takes 2 days to do!
3rd the ostrich is a small chick for 2-3 days. In that stage it is 1ft tall.
4th the ostrich is a chick for 2-3 years.
5th the ostrich is an adult. An ostrich can live for 30-40 years! That is the life cycle of an amazing ostrich!
5. The male ostrich has black fluffy feathers on its back and primary white feathers on its tail and wings. Females are more camouflage with dark green feathers on its back. Ostriches have bare skin on their necks and thighs. For males it’s either blue or pink and for females the skin is a pinkish-gray. They have long necks, strong legs with two toes on each foot, small head, and large eyes. Their voices are either a roar or loud hiss.
6. Standing up to 10 feet tall and weighing more than 300 pounds, the ostrich is the world’s largest bird.
7. The ostrich is also the fastest running bird. It can reach a top speed of 50 miles per hour. The ostrich’s long muscular legs help it run quickly.
8. The ostrich can claim a third record: it has the biggest eyeballs of any bird. Ostrich eyeballs are about 2 inches wide and the size of a billiard ball.
9. Ostriches also lay the largest eggs of all birds. An ostrich egg weighs more than 3 pounds and measures 7 inches long by 4.5 inches across.
10. Ostriches are built for a harsh habitat, or home. Native to Africa, they live in deserts and savannahs, dry grassland areas with few trees. Although ostriches will drink water when it is available, they can also survive without water. They can get the moisture they need from their food, grass, berries, seeds, insects, and small reptiles.
11. Ostriches have very long intestines that help them absorb and digest, or break down, tough plants.
12. Ostriches also eat sand and small stones to help break down the food in their gizzards, which are the pouches in their stomachs that grind food.
13. Ostriches have several scary predators -cheetahs, lions, leopards, wild dogs, and spotted hyenas. But they also have good defenses! When an ostrich is in danger, it will sometimes lie flat on the ground with its neck stretched out to hide. Ostriches also sleep in this way. From far away, it might look like its head is buried in the sand, but that is just a myth.
14. An ostrich also protects itself with its amazing speed. Its powerful legs help it outrun predators.
15. When an ostrich is cornered, it can also fight back. Ostriches defend themselves by kicking with their strong legs. Ostriches have one powerful kick! Ostriches have only two toes, but the bigger one, which is about 7 inches long, has a sharp, slicing claw. The ostrich claw can slice and kill a lion!
16. Some people think that ostriches have nasty tempers. It is true that they can be aggressive and try to pick a fight. They can also be territorial and try to defend their home. They may stomp their feet, flare their wings, hiss and roar loudly, or charge. Usually, an ostrich will warn you before attacking, but as with any other large, fast animal, it is wise to keep your distance and to have an escape plan when you enter “ostrich territory.”
17. Although ostriches are birds, they cannot fly! Their wings are not strong enough or big enough to support their heavy bodies.
18. You could fit 4,700 hummingbird eggs or 24 hen eggs in a single ostrich egg!
19. Ostrich intestines are 46 feet twice the length of those of a human!
20. Ostriches have three stomachs.
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