With its muscular legs, long, naked neck, tiny head and plump, fluffy body, the ostrich is one of the wackiest-looking creatures you'll find. It's also the largest and heaviest bird in the world. Though it's too big to fly, the ostrich is the fastest animal on two legs, able to reach speeds of more than 40 mph.
Eye Carumba!: Ostriches have the biggest eyes of any land animal. An ostrich's long lashes protect its eyes from dust storms in its hot, dry habitat.
Two For The Road: Unlike other birds, ostriches have only two toes. The larger of the two has one flat nail that helps the ostrich run fast. The other toe helps the bird keep its balance.
Heads Up![]
The ostrich can maintain its top speed of 40 mph for as long as 30 minutes straight!
The most common myth surrounding the ostrich is that it hides its head in the sand at the first sign of danger. That's probably because when an ostrich lowers its long neck to the ground to feed, its head seems to disappear from sight. In reality, the ostrich needs little in the way of self-defense. This bird has great hearing and is so tall-and its head is so high up-that it can spy predators from long distances. Once it spots danger, this speedy bird can outrun just about any threat.
Wing-A-Ding Ding: Since ostriches don't fly, their feathers are different than those of other birds. Ostrich feathers are soft and downy and act as insulation. These animals use their wings to show off for potential mates and to shade their chicks.
Stone Soup: Ostriches can go for very long periods of time without drinking-they get most of the moisture they need from the plants they eat. An ostrich will also swallow small stones and pebbles to help grind up the tough plants that make up most of its diet.
Battle of the Big Birds[]
Male ostriches sometimes spar with one another when fighting over a potential mate. During these fights, they may use their powerful legs to kick at each other. Males also have claws on two of the fingers on their wings, which they can use to attack their rivals.
Trivia[]
- The ostrich is mentioned on several other cards:
- It is used as a modern comparison for the Mononykus, Diatryma, Struthiomimus, and Giant Moa.
- The heading “Wing-a-Ding-Ding” is possibly a reference to the 1961 Frank Sinatra song & album Ring-A-Ding-Ding.
- The Species Listed on the Card is the Common Ostrich.