After returning from military campaigns, the soldiers of Ancient Rome told the locals stories about strange birds that they met in distant lands. Due to lack of education, wild imagination and the usual desire to captivate casual listeners, soldiers diluted the truth with fiction. But they can be justified by the fact that in the places where ostriches lived, there were appropriate weather conditions that contributed to optical illusion.
Small brain size
Man often neglected this bird, considering it the most stupid divine creature. Scientists confirm this opinion by citing the Bible and research results, where it is written in black and white that the size of the eyes of an ostrich is larger than its brain.
The German zoologist Alfred Edmund did not particularly respect this bird: "I have been studying the way of life of ostriches for a long time, and therefore I will not refute public opinion. Yes, this bird is one of the most stupid creatures known on our Earth. They go astray, listen not only the leader, but also of their caretaker, and also feel free only in the area to which they are accustomed. This is where their possibilities end. Obeying the call of instincts, ostriches can offend any animal, or swallow everything that fits into their mouth during an attack of anger If similar of desire has not arisen, they can even go on foot, they mean not submit that it is noticed. Ostriches occupy a leading place among the birds, which are totally dependent on their instincts and glimpses of momentary desires."
Desire to eat is a sign of curiosity
Last but not least, thanks to the size of the ostrich’s brain, he seeks to eat everything he can get with any number of witnesses. But thanks to wild human imagination, such witnesses like to embellish reality. For example, we can recall people who lived 2, 000 years ago. They swore that the ostrich eats absolutely everything. If there wasn’t enough food, these birds visit the blacksmiths, who are ready to treat them with a burning iron directly from the anvil. The ostrich swallows iron and almost instantly releases it from the rectum, giving it as hot as before. But the digestive juices do their job, and the iron loses a little weight and begins to ring from a hit on the floor.
Of course, this is a hoax. There could be no theoretically pure hot iron in the ostrich’s stomach. But instead, you can see stones and small metal products. This bird has a special digestion, which needs help in processing food. Therefore, inside the ostrich’s brain there is natural information about suitable stones for this purpose. And the metal is there because of the usual curiosity of a bird at the sight of a sparkling object. For a daily diet, he chooses completely different foods. This list includes plants, insects, small animals and lizards.
Matching the brain and the eyes
Science has proven the biologically strange structure of an ostrich's skull. This oddity is manifested in the fact that the ostrich’s brain is smaller than the eye. But in fairness it is worth noting how this weight exceeds not one, but both eyes. The mass of the bird’s brain is between 40 and 60 grams, and this indicator can bypass only two eyes, which in combination are the largest organs of vision of all earthly creatures living on this planet.
In addition to the physiological parameters and ostrich brain size, this bird has many other features. And yet, probably, the most remarkable feature is the eyes. They are framed by fluffy eyelashes that protect against debris in gusts of wind. To protect themselves from predators, ostriches have developed a great visual acuity. In addition, the beaks of males during the breeding season acquire a red tint.
