Okeefe, Dale and Bachman, Alton (2012) Encyclopedia of extinct birds and animals. Academic Studio, Delhi, India. ISBN 9788132306986
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Abstract
A ratite is any of a diverse group of large, flightless birds of Gondwanan origin, most of them now extinct. Unlike other flightless birds, the ratites have no keel on their sternum hence the name from the Latin ratis (for raft). Without this to anchor their wing muscles, they could not fly even if they were to develop suitable wings. Most parts of the former Gondwana have ratites or did have until the fairly recent past. Their closest living relatives are the tinamous of South America. Some taxonomical systems consider the various families of ratites to be orders, but the system used here uses the order "Struthioniformes" to refer to all ratites. The African Ostrich is the largest living ratite. A large member of this species can be nearly 3 metres (9.8 ft) tall, weigh as much as 159 kilograms (350 lb) and can outrun a horse. Of the living species, the Australian emu is next in height, reaching up to 2 metres (6.6 ff) tall and about 60 kilograms (130 1). Like the ostrich, it is a fast-running, powerful bird of the open plains and woodlands. Also native to Australia and the islands to the north are the three species of cassowary. Shorter than an emu, but heavier and solidly built, cassowaries prefer thickly vegetated tropical forest. They can be very dangerous when surprised or cornered because of their razor-sharp talons. In New Guinea, cassowary eggs are brought back to villages and the chicks raised for eating as a much-prized delicacy, despite (or perhaps because of) the risk they pose to life and limb. South America has two species of rhea, mid-sized, fast-running birds of the Pampas. The larger American rhea grows to about 1.5 metres (4.9 ft) tall and usually weighs 20 to 25 kilograms (44-55 b). (South America also has 47 species of the small and ground-dwelling but not flightless tinamou family, which is closely related to the ratite group). The smallest ratites are the five species of kiwi from New Zealand. Kiwis are chicken-sized, shy and nocturnal. They nest in deep burrows and use a highly developed sense of smell to find small insects and grubs in the soil. Kiwis are notable for laying eggs that are very large in relation to their body size. A kiwi egg may equal 15 to 20 percent of the body mass of a female kiwi. The smallest species of kiwi is the Little Spotted Kiwi, at 1.2 kilograms (2.6 1b) and 40 centimeters (16 in).
| Item Type: | Book |
|---|---|
| Subjects: | Q Science > QL Zoology |
| Divisions: | Electronic Books |
| Depositing User: | Esam @ Hisham Muhammad |
| Date Deposited: | 02 Jan 2024 06:11 |
| Last Modified: | 02 Jan 2024 06:11 |
| URI: | http://odlsystem2.utm.my/id/eprint/4319 |
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