Ostrich
Struthio camelus
Summary 2
The Ostrich or Common Ostrich (Struthio camelus) is either one or two species of large flightless birds native to Africa, the only living member(s) of the genus Struthio, which is in the ratite family. Some analyses indicate that the Somali Ostrich may be better considered a full species separate from the Common Ostrich, but most taxonomists consider it to be a subspecies.
Location in the Zoo 3
They live in the African Plains exhibit
Habitat 3
Habitat-Ostriches can be found in savannas and deserts.
Diet 3
They mainly feed on seeds, shrubs, grass, fruit and flowers and occasionally they also eat insects such as locusts
Adaptations 3
Ostriches have legs built for running, with long, thick legs and only two toes on each foot. Though they can't fly, they utilize their wings for balance when running and also for courtship. When ostriches sense danger, they "play dead" by flopping to the ground and lying still. However, if forced to duke it out, ostriches use their sharply-taloned feet to fend off predators.
Living relatives/ family name (Taxonomy) 3
Family name:
Struthionidae
Living relatives are:
red-necked or North African ostrich
Somali ostrich
Masai ostrich
South African ostrich
Threats 3
Threats-Humans was one of the ostriches biggest threats but people are now working to protect these flightless birds.
Extra Sources 3
http://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/ostrich
Sources and Credits
- (c) bronxzooplainsswag, all rights reserved
- Adapted by bronxzooplainsswag from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Struthio_camelus
- (c) bronxzooplainsswag, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
