What do ostriches mainly eat? Is it a carnivore?

The feeding habits are very diverse, but the stems, leaves and fruits are the main ones, especially flowering shrubs, parasitic creeping plants, cucurbitaceae plants and wild figs. Insects, mollusks, small reptiles, birds and mammals also eat, and eat some sand grains to help digestion. Interestingly, nails, coins, bottle caps, ropes and even diamonds can be found in his stomach.

Ostriches are carnivores.

The expansion of ostrich knowledge;

Introduction:

Ostrich (scientific name: Struthio camelus) belongs to Ostrich family and is the largest bird in the world. Adult birds can reach 2. Male ostrich can reach 150kg. A slender neck like a snake supports a small head with a short flat triangular mouth composed of several horny sheaths. Its main feature is that its keel is underdeveloped and it can't fly. It is also the only two-toed bird in the world. Every big toe on its foot has a dangerous toenail about 7 cm long, and its hind limbs are strong and suitable for running.

Living in desert grassland and savanna areas in Africa, it is widely domesticated by many countries because of its high economic value, fast growth, strong reproductive ability, easy feeding and strong disease resistance.

Habitat:

African ostriches mainly inhabit deserts, grasslands and bushes, among which Somali subspecies sometimes enter dense and prickly bushes, and are even found on steep rocky plateaus in southwest Africa.

Behavior:

African ostriches can adapt to the arid climate and have abnormal heat resistance because they have developed airbags and a good circulatory system to regulate their body temperature. Even if the temperature is as high as 56℃, they can still look for food in hot summer days and not drink water for months. The most frequent activities are still in the early morning and dusk. The cry is loud and heavy, like the roar of a lion, alert and suspicious, and sensitive in hearing and vision. Love to get together in groups, generally 10- 15, if there are chicks, it can reach 40-50. In the case of abundant food, they live a wandering life, and also like to mix with herbivores such as zebras, antelopes, giraffes and wildebeests for food, so that they can eat insects, small rodents and reptiles that are startled by large mammals such as zebras.

African ostriches are tall, with long necks and sharp eyes. When foraging in groups, the interval between the heads of each bird is irregular, one after another, so there are always some individuals looking up, so as to find the enemy in time and inform other animals to quickly avoid. They run very fast in the desert, the distance of each step can reach 3.5 meters, the continuous running speed is 50 kilometers per hour, they can run for more than 5 minutes, the sprint speed is more than 70 kilometers per hour, and they can also cross obstacles more than 5 meters high. Like drinking water and taking a bath.

Breeding mode:

One male and many females, generally 1 male with 3-5 females. After ostriches mate 1 week, females begin to lay eggs. Usually, 1 egg is laid every one or two days until there are 12- 16 eggs in the nest, and the hatching begins for a long time. The male ostrich and the female ostrich alternate. Female ostriches usually hatch eggs during the day, while male ostriches hatch eggs at night, because their bright colors are not easy to be found at night. When an ostrich hatches in a nest, it often stretches its neck along the ground, which may be a camouflage method to confuse other enemy animals.

Marriage is nesting on the ground, and all females lay eggs in the same nest. Each female lays eggs 10- 12, and the number of eggs per nest can reach 25-30. The egg is large and yellow-white, with the size of 152× 203mm and the egg weight of 1300-2000g. During the day, females hatch and males bear it at night. The incubation period is 40-42 days. Chicks are precocious. Sexually mature at the age of 3, with a life expectancy of 60 years.

Protection level:

In 20 16, it was listed in the red list of endangered species VER by IUCN. 3. 1- low risk (LC).

Economic value:

African ostrich is the largest bird in the world. African ostrich has the advantages of fast growth, strong disease resistance, wide adaptability, high feed conversion rate, high reproduction rate, long life span and long effective reproduction period, which has high economic value. Ostrich meat is red, with high egg white content and low cholesterol content, and contains 2/kloc-0 amino acids necessary for human body. Its meat is delicious, its nutritional value is similar to that of beef, and it is more suitable for the taste of modern consumers.

African ostrich feathers are all down (only shafts and twigs). Feathers are delicate in texture, warm and soft to the touch, and can be used as aristocratic costumes and headdresses. Its feathers have no static electricity and can be used to wipe advanced precision instruments and computers.

The egg of African ostrich is the largest and heaviest egg among the existing birds, and its weight can reach about 1% of its body weight. One egg is equivalent to the weight of 20 eggs. The eggshell is hard, about 0.2-0.3 cm thick, with ivory luster, and can be used as a high-grade carving ornamental. The processed African ostrich eggs are more palatable, odorless and delicious than eggs, and are a kind of advanced nutritional supplement.

African ostrich skin can be made into high-quality leather, which is characterized by softness, beauty, unique pore pattern, good air permeability, strong tensile force, durability and curl. After the product is made, the service life is long, and with the increase of time, the surface of the product is brighter.