Common Ostrich
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This loss of toes allows the ostrich to adapt to its' environment(1). It reduces lower limb mass which allows for greater running speeds(1). The first toe is long and faces forward with a large claw and the second toe is smaller and is angled outward, giving the ostrich its balance(1).
The male ostrich ranges from 100-156 kg in weight and 210-275 cm tall(3). The female ostrich ranges from 90-110 kg in weight and 175-190 cm tall(3). It has long muscular legs and short stubby wings(1). The male is usually black in colour on its wings and tail and displays white tips on its feathers during mating season(1). Females and juveniles are usually brown or grey in colour(1). Ostriches are selective grazers and browse in groups during the daylight(2,3). They have developed to survive the harshest environments
such as surviving drought like a camel and hot temperatures like a
giraffe(1).
Ostriches live up to 30-40 years of age, and they spend about 8 hours a day on the move(3).
They prefer to live in loose groups consisting of one cock and about a dozen hens(1). The cock defends about 2-20 square kilometers of territory and chases away any intruders if necessary(1). The cock mates with more than one hen(1) when there is an abundance of food(3). Otherwise, they form a monogamous pair(3). In each loose group there is a major hen and multiple minor hens(1). The major hen lays her eggs in the middle of the nesting area and the minor hens lay their eggs on the outer edges(1). The main hen usually lays up to 11 eggs, whereas the minor hens lay about 2-6 eggs(3). The eggs are incubated my the main hen, which only incubates about 20 eggs and pushes out the remainder that she cannot cover(3). She usually salvages her own eggs and pushes out the eggs laid by the minor hens(3).
They prefer to live in loose groups consisting of one cock and about a dozen hens(1). The cock defends about 2-20 square kilometers of territory and chases away any intruders if necessary(1). The cock mates with more than one hen(1) when there is an abundance of food(3). Otherwise, they form a monogamous pair(3). In each loose group there is a major hen and multiple minor hens(1). The major hen lays her eggs in the middle of the nesting area and the minor hens lay their eggs on the outer edges(1). The main hen usually lays up to 11 eggs, whereas the minor hens lay about 2-6 eggs(3). The eggs are incubated my the main hen, which only incubates about 20 eggs and pushes out the remainder that she cannot cover(3). She usually salvages her own eggs and pushes out the eggs laid by the minor hens(3).
Egg laying occurs at the beginning of the wet season when there is a lot of succulent vegetation available to the mother(2). This is around the month of April when daylight hours are increasing. Eggs hatch within 6 weeks and chicks weight about 0.8 kg(3). The chicks become sexually mature within 3-4 years(3). If the nest or chicks are threatened by predators, the parents will defend the nest and even fake injuries and fall to the ground to grab the attention of the attacker(2).
Natural Habitat
Ostriches live in large territories because they are able to get around. Their preferred habitat consists of open, short grass plains or semi-deserts(3). Ostriches are found is the deserts of Western Saharah, Namibia and Southern Africa(2). Ostriches are able to meet their water requirements from the succulent vegetation that they consume,
giving them the ability to live in these dry environments(4).
Ostriches live in large territories because they are able to get around. Their preferred habitat consists of open, short grass plains or semi-deserts(3). Ostriches are found is the deserts of Western Saharah, Namibia and Southern Africa(2). Ostriches are able to meet their water requirements from the succulent vegetation that they consume,
giving them the ability to live in these dry environments(4).
Greater Flamingo
Life History
Flamingos ancestors can be dated back 145-60 million years ago(6). Greater flamingos are a paler white tinged with pink(6). The amount of colour in their feathers depends on their age and diet(5). Flamingos weigh about 2.1-4.1 kg and are 120-145 cm in length(5). They have have a wing span of 140-165 cm(5). Flamingos have 4 toes and webbed feet which enables them to dabble like ducks to reach the bottom of the body of water they are in(6).
Life History
Flamingos ancestors can be dated back 145-60 million years ago(6). Greater flamingos are a paler white tinged with pink(6). The amount of colour in their feathers depends on their age and diet(5). Flamingos weigh about 2.1-4.1 kg and are 120-145 cm in length(5). They have have a wing span of 140-165 cm(5). Flamingos have 4 toes and webbed feet which enables them to dabble like ducks to reach the bottom of the body of water they are in(6).
Flamingos live in flocks of hundreds or thousands of individuals(6) because they are highly social animals(5). They are obligate colonial nesters which means they nest in tightly packed colonies(6). Although, adult flamingos do not try to conceal their nests or defend it against predators(6). Flamingos lay just one egg, but some studies show that they rarely lay 2(7). The eggs are constantly incubated by either one of the parents(5,7) for 27-31 days(5). Three weeks after hatching, the chicks congregate in groups called crèches, and this is how they attempt to ward off predators(6). The parents do come back for a short period at night to feed the chicks(6). At about 3 years of age, the flamingos are sexually mature(5,6) but usually begin breeding at ages 5-10 years(5). Flamingos have a lifespan of about 40 years(5).
Natural Habitat
Flamingos breed in arid or semi-arid regions(6). Salinity levels in these areas are greater than in humid areas(6). Most nesting sites include salt lakes, salt depressions and saltpans from Southern Africa to Kazakhstan(6). Habitats are usually quite alkaline and several times saltier than oceans(6). These areas provide an abundance of food resources(6).
Flamingos need to adapt to these salty areas, so they eliminate salt from the water they ingest via special glands which are convolutions of cellular lining of the nostrils located on top of the head in shallow depressions near the eye(6).
Flamingos breed in arid or semi-arid regions(6). Salinity levels in these areas are greater than in humid areas(6). Most nesting sites include salt lakes, salt depressions and saltpans from Southern Africa to Kazakhstan(6). Habitats are usually quite alkaline and several times saltier than oceans(6). These areas provide an abundance of food resources(6).
Flamingos need to adapt to these salty areas, so they eliminate salt from the water they ingest via special glands which are convolutions of cellular lining of the nostrils located on top of the head in shallow depressions near the eye(6).
Flamingos usually live in shallow tidal mudflats and sand banks(6). These are the dominant habitats in Africa, but they also use coastal lagoons, marshes, saltpans or inland lakes(6).
References:
- Williams E. Ostrich. London: Reaktion Books LTD; 2013.
- Deeming DC, editor. The ostrich biology, production and health. New York: CABI Publishing; 1999.
- "Ostrich (Struthio Camelus)." Arkive. Web. Accessed: 01 Mar. 2015. [http://www.arkive.org/ostrich/struthio-camelus/].
- Milton SJ, Richard W, Dean J, Siegfried WR. Food Selection by Ostrich in Southern Africa. J Wildlife Manage 1994; 58:2 234-248.
- "Greater flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus)." Arkive. Web. Accessed: 01 Mar. 2015. [http://www.arkive.org/greater-flamingo/phoenicopterus-roseus/]
- Johnson A, Cézilly F. The greater flamingo. London: T&A D Poyser; 2007.
- Ogilvie M, Ogilvie C. Flamingos. New Hampshire: Alan Sutton Publishing Inc; 1986.