Common Ostrich: a two-minute wildlife lesson

Fast and Slow · day 1 of 7

Five facts

1. Ostriches can sprint faster than any two-legged animal on Earth, cruising at 55 km/h and bursting up to 70 km/h.
2. With their long, powerful legs, ostriches cover 3-5 m in a single stride.
3. An ostrich egg is 15 cm long and weighs 1.4 kg, over 20 times a chicken egg. They are the largest eggs of any living bird.
4. At 50 mm wide, an ostrich's eyes are the biggest of any land animal with a backbone. They let it spot danger far away.
5. Ostriches have just two toes per foot. Their legs can only kick forward, but a kick is strong enough to badly hurt a predator.

The quiz

1. How fast can an ostrich burst in short sprints?

• Up to 25 km/h
• Up to 70 km/h (correct)
• Up to 120 km/h
• Up to 10 km/h

Ostriches burst up to 70 km/h in short sprints.

2. How far does one ostrich stride cover?

• 30-50 cm
• 10-12 m
• 1-2 m
• 3-5 m (correct)

An ostrich covers 3-5 m in a single stride.

3. How much does an ostrich egg weigh?

• 1.4 kg (correct)
• 140 g
• 14 kg
• 300 g

An ostrich egg weighs 1.4 kg.

4. How wide is an ostrich's eye?

• 5 mm
• 15 mm
• 50 mm (correct)
• 150 mm

Ostrich eyes are 50 mm across.

5. How many toes does an ostrich have on each foot?

• Three
• Two (correct)
• Four
• Five

Ostriches have just two toes per foot.

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