Zagreb Zoo

Names of our animals:

Classification
class: birds (Aves)
order: flightless birds (Struthioniformes)
family: ostriches (Struthionidae)

Description
Body length: females 175 -190 cm, males 210 - 275 cm; weight: females 90 - 110 kg, males 100 - 156 kg.

Geographic range
Africa – Sahel, eastern and south-western Africa.

Habitat
Savannah, semideserts and deserts.

Diet
In the wild: grass, seeds, leaves, succulent plants (very important in dry areas), sometimes insects and small vertebrates.
In captivity: soft fruit and vegetables, ostrich pellets, grass.

Reproduction
The nest is built on the ground and formed like a shallow pit. «Dominant» female lays 5 - 11 eggs into the nest, while other females lay 2 - 6 eggs each into the same nest. Eggs are more yellow in colour at the beginning and whiten later on. It is 15 cm long, and 13 cm wide. The incubation period is 42 do 46 days and the chicks feather after 4 – 5 months.

Behaviour
Ostriches live in groups of 2 – 5 individuals, and sometimes form groups of up to 100 individuals. The groups are not strongly tied together and individuals come and go freely. They are active during the day, but mostly at dawn and dusk. They are sedentary birds, but in some areas during dry season can cross large distances searching for food. Ostriches can last a long time without drinking water because they absorb water from food.

Predators
Cheetah, lion, leopard, African wild dogs, spotted hyena. The young are hunted by many predators including eagles.

Life span
In the wild up to 30 - 40 years.
In captivity up to 50 years.

Conservation Status
Not an endangered species. In the 18th century ostriches were almost hunted to extinction because of their feathers and meet, but during the middle of 19th century farming of ostriches started. Today, the population of ostriches in the wild is stable.
IUCN category: LC (least concern).

Interesting facts
► The ostrich is the largest living bird in the world and one of the fastest animals – it can run up to 70 km/h!
► The old saying that ostriches stick their head in the sand when frightened is actually completely untrue. Such behaviour has never been recorded, and it is not known how the saying came about. It is assumed that it has to do with the way of hiding – Ostriches hide from predators sometimes by laying low to the ground.

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