Trivia question for Apr-18-2011

Carter likes Ostrich’s so he is writing today’s trivia all about them.  These guys are ideally developed for living in arid terrain.  They glean all their water needs from plant food – except during the driest months.

The Ostrich, is a large flightless bird native to Africa. It is the only living species of its family. Ostriches share the order Struthioniformes with the kiwis, emus, and other ratites. It is distinctive in its appearance, with a long neck and legs and the ability to run at maximum speeds of about 60.6 mph, the top land speed of any bird. The Ostrich is the largest living species of bird and lays the largest egg of any living bird.

So here are Carter’s questions:  How do these large birds dissipate heat, and also tell us how strong an Ostrich’s egg is (in other-words, how much weight can an egg support before breaking).  Also, we have all heard about how ostrich’s supposedly burry their head in the ground when they are frightened but we know this is not true.  Tell us what they really do and why?

Good Luck 😉

Answer:

Congratulations to our friends at Arkte Spirit for sending us the correct answer of how these guys reduce their body temperature.  The ostrich gapes its bill and spreads its wings to dissipate body heat.  As for the answer to the strength of an ostrich egg, it is reported that a man weighing 250-lbs. can stand on an ostrich egg without it breaking.

When threatened, Ostriches run away, but they can cause serious injury and death with kicks from their powerful legs. Did you know that their legs can only kick forward?  Contrary to popular belief, Ostriches do not bury their heads in sand. Instead, incubating ostrich’s will sometimes lay their head and neck flat on the ground.   This may have given rise to the legend.

The wild Ostrich population has declined drastically in the last 200 years, with most surviving birds in reserves or on farms. However, its range remains very large, leading the IUCN and BirdLife International to treat it as a species of Least Concern. Of its 5 subspecies, the Middle Eastern Ostrich became extinct around 1966, and the North African Ostrich has declined to the point where it now is included on CITES Appendix I and some treat it as Critically Endangered.  Here is more on these big birds: Ostrich

Thanks for playing along 😉