Tanzania - Ostrich

This was the first time that we were seeing Ostriches in the wild. I knew they were big birds but was not prepared for the massive built that we saw. Ostriches are the fastest bipedal runners in the world with speeds reaching as high as 45 miles per hour, about twice what the fastest human can achieve. And using their powerful legs to escape predators. What's more, an ostrich can maintain this speed for up to half an hour. But they cannot fly. 

The eyes of the ostrich are the size of pool balls. An ostrich's brain is actually smaller than either of its eyeballs because of how much space the eyes occupy in the skull. Because of this, despite its amazing running speed, the ostrich may not be very good at avoiding predators. They keep running in circles. 

Male ostriches are polygamous, but they tend the nest with a single favored mate. This hen lays about a half-dozen eggs in a shallow depression in the sand, which takes her about two weeks. Other hens then add their own eggs to the nest, and once they are finished, the favored mate chases them off. The nest owners then incubate all the eggs: The female sits on them during the day, and the male takes a turn at night.

The ostrich is the largest living bird in the world. An ostrich chick grows one foot taller each month until it is seven or eight months old. Adult ostrich roosters are six to ten feet in height and can weigh as much as 340 pounds. Because of their prodigious size, ostriches were occasionally used for riding or pulling chariots in ancient Egypt; the practice never really took off, because the ostrich has a nasty temper.

Ostriches lay the largest eggs of any living land animal, with each egg weighing about 3 pounds (1.4 kg). They have adapted to hot, arid environments by being able to withstand high temperatures and conserve water. They have specialized nasal passages that reduce water loss, and they can go without water for several days, obtaining moisture from the plants they eat.