Ostriches are the biggest birds in the world. They are taller than us. They also can't fly. An ostrich is approximately two and a half metres (98 inches) tall and weighs 120 kilograms (264 pounds).
These birds, which live in colonies in Central Africa, can't fly. Instead, Allah has given them a different ability so that they can escape from their predators: They run very fast with their long legs. They run so fast that no man can keep up with them. Ostriches are the fastest two-legged animals in the animal kingdom and they reach speeds of 70 kilometres (43 miles) per hour.
Do you know that ostriches have only two toes on their feet? What is more, one of these toes is considerably bigger than the other. And ostriches run only on their big toes. Besides that, thanks to their long legs enabling them to run fast, ostriches are very good warriors.
To protect themselves against their enemies, they kick their predators.
The egg of the biggest bird in the world is also the biggest bird egg in the world. They dig a very deep hole in the sand and place all their eggs in it. But when they lay more than 10 to 12 eggs, they need to adjust the size of the hole accordingly. If the ostrich dug this hole in soil instead of sand, this would take a longer time, causing the birds to consume more energy. Indeed, digging sand is much easier than soil. You may even dig sand with your hands whereas you need a shovel to dig soil.
OSTRICH EGG
Size of egg: averages 6 x 5 inches (15 x 13 centimeters) in size and weighs about 3 pounds (1,500 grams)
For this reason, ostriches, by the inspiration of Allah, prefer digging in the sand rather than in soil and thus consume minimal energy. Then they cover their eggs with sand again without difficulty.
With their acute eyesight and hearing, Ostriches can sense predators such as lion from far away. They can maintain a steady speed of 50 km/h (30 mph), which makes the Ostrich the world's fastest two-legged animal. When lying down and hiding from predators, the birds lay their heads and necks flat on the ground, making them appear as a mound of earth from a distance. This even works for the males, as they hold their wings and tail low so that the heat haze of the hot, dry air that often occurs in their habitat aids in making them appear as a nondescript dark lump.
When threatened, Ostriches run away, but they can cause serious injury and death with kicks from their powerful legs. Their legs can only kick forward. Contrary to popular belief, Ostriches do not bury their head in sand. This myth likely began with
Pliny the Elder, who wrote that Ostriches "imagine, when they have thrust their head and neck into a bush, that the whole of their body is concealed."
When an ostrich
senses danger and cannot run away, it flops to the ground and remains still, with its head and neck flat on the ground in front of it. Because the head and neck are lightly colored, they blend in with the color of the soil. From a distance, it just looks like the ostrich has buried its head in the sand, because only the body is visible.
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