Ostriches are Pretty Cool.

Ostriches! What's not to love about a Giant bird? Nothing, that's what. The Ostrich is going to be the animal of the day. I'm not sure if there will be an animal of the day everyday, writing multiple posts a day with my college schedule may be a bit of "ostrich" but, I guess we'll see.

So here's some fun information about the Ostrich (Struthio camelus): 

• They live in Africa in the desert and savanna
• Ostriches eat plants, insects, lizards, and basically anything suitable they can find
• Ostriches do not actually bury their heads in the sand. This myth probably stems from the fact that when in danger, an ostrich will lower its head low to the ground and its plumage camouflages with the sand, giving the appearance that its head is in the ground. 
• Ostriches are the largest bird on the planet. They grow anywhere from 7-9ft and weigh between 220-350lbs. They also have the biggest eye of any land animal, which measures about 2 inches across 
• Ostriches can run really fast! Like 43 mph fast. They cover 10-16ft in a single stride. 

So you want a Pet Ostrich....

Well as cool as it would be to ride an ostrich around, they probably aren't the best pet. Let's examine Why! 

• They're really big birds and they require a really big nest for their really big eggs. Each egg weighs about the same as 2 dozen chicken eggs. Eggs are delicate and break and I doubt anyone wants to clean that mess up. Also, where are you going to put a nest big enough for a 9 foot bird? It'll just look weird even if you find a place. 
• You can't just have ONE ostrich. Ostriches live in herds with a dominant hen and an Alpha male and all that fun stuff. Unless you want a sad Ostrich, you're going to have to accommodate an entire ostrich herd. 
• They come with a "kick". Ostriches can kick with so much force it can kill a lion. If they can kick the king of the jungle to death, you won't be too much of a challenge. Not to mention at the end of their foot is a long, sharp claw. That would scratch your floor up pretty bad. 
• They'd stare at you. They have really big eyes. They also just look sorta creepy. Would you really want to wake up and just see a 9ft bird watching you with its 2 inch eyes and an expression like this: 
  
   
• It's questionably legal. In Ohio, we have some pretty strict restrictions on exotic animals. Private ownership of exotic animals is banned. Although it doesn't specifically say ostriches, I feel like that falls into the moral grey area of pet ownership. So just don't do it. 

So That's the Ostrich for you! And just to wrap everything up, here's a video of ostriches (and emus) freaking out over a Weasel ball toy