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Struthioniformes is an order of birds with only a single extant family, Struthionidae, containing the ostriches.Several other extinct families are known, spanning across the Northern Hemisphere, from the Early Eocene to the early Pliocene, including a variety of flightless forms like the Paleotidae, Geranoididae, Eogruidae and Ergilornithidae, the latter two thought to be closely related to ...
A close family relationship with hyraxes was suspected based on similarities in the construction of the ear and the course of the carotid artery. Molecular genetic studies, however, have shown the ungulates to be polyphyletic , meaning that in some cases the similarities are the result of convergent evolution rather than common ancestry .
Ostriches do not stick their heads in the sand to hide from enemies or to sleep. [63] This misconception's origins are uncertain but it was probably popularized by Pliny the Elder (23–79 CE), who wrote that ostriches "imagine, when they have thrust their head and neck into a bush, that the whole of their body is concealed".
The Somali ostrich occurs in the Horn of Africa, having evolved isolated from the common ostrich by the geographic barrier of the East African Rift. In some areas, the common ostrich's Masai subspecies occurs alongside the Somali ostrich, but they are kept from interbreeding by behavioral and ecological differences. [15]
There are three living species: Grévy's zebra (Equus grevyi), the plains zebra (E. quagga), and the mountain zebra (E. zebra). Zebras share the genus Equus with horses and asses, the three groups being the only living members of the family Equidae. Zebra stripes come in different patterns, unique to each individual.
Zebras have a less efficient digestive system than ruminants but food passage is twice as fast. [15] Thus, zebras are less selective in foraging, but they do spend much time eating. The zebra is a pioneer grazer and prepares the way for more specialised grazers such as blue wildebeests and Thomson's gazelles. [9] Lions feeding on a zebra
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Struthionidae (/ ˌ s t r uː θ i ˈ ɒ n ə d iː /; from Latin strūthiō 'ostrich' and Ancient Greek εἶδος (eîdos) 'appearance, resemblance') is a family of flightless birds, containing the extant ostriches and their extinct relatives.