Camel Bird? by wysiwig

Photography • Animals • posted on Aug 21, 2012

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Description

Here is a trio of Struthio camelus females (Latin: Ostrich Camel). The Common Ostrich consists of five subspecies. Those found in Kenya are of the subspecies massaicus and average 115 kg (250 lb) in males and 100 kg (220 lb) in females. At sexual maturity (two to four years), male Ostriches can be from 2.1 to 2.8 m (6 ft 11 in to 9 ft 2 in) in height, while female Ostriches range from 1.7 to 2 m (5 ft 7 in to 6 ft 7 in) tall. Their lifespan is up to 40 or 45 years. The feathers of adult males are mostly black, with a white tail. Females and young males are greyish-brown and white. They are related to kiwis, emus, rheas, and cassowaries and are the largest living species of bird. With their acute eyesight and hearing, Ostriches can sense predators such as lions from far away. When being pursued by a predator, they have been known to reach speeds in excess of 70 km/h (43 mph), and can maintain a steady speed of 50 km/h (31 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. When threatened, Ostriches run away, but they can cause serious injury and death with kicks from their powerful legs.

Comments (9)

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Faemike55

12:24AM | Tue, 21 August 2012

Very cool capture! I watched Mike Rowe try to capture one of these on Discovery Channel - funny as heck - glad it was him and not me

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auntietk

12:25AM | Tue, 21 August 2012

Those are some seriously big birds. What a great capture!!

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durleybeachbum

12:56AM | Tue, 21 August 2012

Great pic! I had no idea they lived so very long!

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Chipka

1:11AM | Tue, 21 August 2012

I had no idea they lived as long as they do, but I did know about their speeds, size, and all of those deliciously wonderful qualities. I happen to like them immensely, especially since one of my favorite prehistoric animals shares a similar name. Struthiomimus was one of the first dinosaurs I learned as a kid...I knew the famous ones like Tyrannosaurus Rex, Brontosaurus, Triceratops, Stegosaurus, and all of the others, but it was Struthiomimus that drew my attention, along with the small "raptors" made famous in Jurassic Park...I knew them before they were famous, and when everyone called them by their actual name: deinonychus (which, rather impressively translates to "terrible claw.") Anyway, Struthiumimus their Ornithomimus (Ornitholestes) and Deinonychus were three of my favorite dinosaur species, and whenever I see ostriches, I think that in some way, they look like their saurian namesakes. Struthiomimus translates to "Ostrich mimic" but since they came first, maybe it's ostriches that mimic them? Anyway...this is a gorgeous photo of truly regal animals. Superb work!

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JuliSonne

2:19AM | Tue, 21 August 2012

In Germany, I also visited Ostrich farms. But nothing go about the free nature. There are magnificent animals and it have an unusual anatomy. I love these creatures.