Ostriches are so unique and different to other animals including members of their own “family”.
Other members of the Ratitae Family, to which the ostrich belongs, include the Emu and Cassowary from Australia and the kiwi from New Zealand for example.
One of their amazing attributes is the fact that the ostrich will grow to adulthood in 18 months. They weigh about 1kg when born and in the space of 18 months grow to an incredible size of about 140kg. The female ostrich will start laying eggs when she is about two years old.
The incredible thing is that in nature they can live as long as 60 years ! Animals that usually grow to maturity in a short space of time also have a relatively short life-span ; dogs and cats are easy examples of this. Elephants will only be fully grown when they are about 20 years old but can live as long as 100 years in nature. With ostriches it is almost a paradox in the sense that they grow quickly but live long. Ostriches are truly different and amazing.
