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Linnaean Classification
Domain: Eukarya Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Struthioniformes Family: Struthionidae Genus: Struthio Species: Struthio camelus Regulator: Ostriches are regulators as they are warm-blooded, like all birds. This means that ostriches can regulate their own heat even as the environment’s temperature fluctuates, to a certain degree. Migration: Ostriches move around a lot in their environments in search of nutrients, traveling in packs of 5-10. They travel along with zebras and antelopes, other grazing animals. Specialist: The ostrich is distinct to only the chaparral and desert. Although they do travel a lot around their biome, they will not be found in the forest or tundra, thus are known as specialists. Consumer: This animal is a consumer because it consumes other living things to obtain energy. It cannot perform photosynthesis or chemosynthesis, so it has to eat other organisms for food. Omnivore: Ostriches mostly eat seeds, shrubs, grass, and fruit and flowers. However, occasionally they also eat insects such as locusts. This consumption of both heterotrophs and autotrophs makes the ostrich an omnivore. Niche: Some animals that can attack adult ostriches are cheetahs, lions, leopards, African hunting dogs, and spotted hyenas. However, other animals attack eggs and young ostriches, such as jackals, various birds of prey, warthogs, mongoose and Egyptian vultures. Ostriches mostly eat seeds, shrubs, grass, fruits and flowers, and insects. As these animals are specialists, they are only found in the chaparral or desert, generally hot environments. They end up with about 20 eggs in a flock, but only about 15% of chicks survive to one year of age. |
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