ome people have some pretty cool pastimes. Playing sports, reading, watching an entire season of a Netflix show in a day... essentially hobbies that other people, if they are not already doing it themselves, can at least relate to. My favorite way to pass the time and solve general boredom is a little more obscure.
It might be weird that I would rather spend three hours watching documentaries about South American spiders or researching what exactly a frog does if it finds itself in the middle of a desert without water, but let me tell you something—this seemingly useless information has made me think about the world in new ways. I now pay way more attention to the natural world around me and often find myself wondering how another species would adapt to certain situations.
During my searches into the depth of the animal kingdom, I came across an animal I hadn't previously given much thought to. Aside from learning some FASCINATING (you should really check these out) facts about ostriches, I also started questioning what we might have in common with such a weird and frankly, quite startling species.
Here are some of the more interesting and relatable facts I found:
1. The ostrich is the world’s largest flightless bird.
We too are flightless and relatively large.
2. Ostriches have three stomachs!
I sometimes think I have three stomachs when I go to Chipotle and feel the sudden urge to finish EVERYTHING on my plate.
3. Speaking of stomachs, a ostriches’ brain is the same size!
Essentially, they think with their stomach which is something we are all guilty of.
Me too! *I say while eating a Chinese chicken salad*.
5. Ostriches have a memory of 7-10 seconds.
As do I when I go to take any exam… ever.
6. They can grow up to 9 feet tall and weigh as much as 320 lbs.
In 2011, a Turkish man was measured at 8’3” and weighed 302 lbs, kind of the human equivalent of an ostrich.
7. Can run up to 40 miles per hour.
Usain Bolt’s record speed is 44.32 miles per hour.
8. Ostrich feathers are known to have a static charge, barbs, and special oils coating the surface, making them excellent dusters.
I don’t know if you’ll want to dust your home with your own hair, but if you rub a balloon on top of your head, you create a static charge!
9. Ornithomimosauria, or ostrich dinosaurs, bore a significant resemblance to the modern ostrich, generating the assumption that they are descendants. This is notable by their dinosaur looking feet.
We also have ancestors and some of us are known to have some pretty gnarly looking toes.
10. An ostrich can kick with the force of 500 psi, enough to kill a full sized lion.
*11. Although technically unrelated to humans, the "fact" that ostriches bury their head in the sand is utterly false.
When ostriches sense danger, they lay their bodies flat to the ground, attempting to blend in with the dirt and sand around them, not bury their bodies in it.