I had to laugh when I came across the video clip below. It's taken from a camera car, and shows two participants in the annual Cape Town Cycle Tour trying to get away from an ostrich that appears to be irritated at them. (Ostriches are notoriously short-tempered, particularly if one gets too close to their nest; and they're very well equipped to administer a beating, particularly kicking with their iron-hard claws, which can disembowel their victim and break bones. They're also very territorial, so if you get too close, they're likely to object. Strongly.)
Ostriches can run at up to 30 mph for extended periods, and up to 45 mph in short bursts; and a fully grown adult can weigh as much as or more than the average human being. The cyclists in this video clip were definitely in danger. I'm sure their race time improved measurably as they fled!
(However, ostrich breast makes very good eating, particularly accompanied by scrambled ostrich egg. If a hungry, armed local had been around, and the cameras not, that bird might have ended up on someone's dinner plate.)
Peter
Ostriches are mean too. My old girlfriend worked at the Reston Pet Farm long ago. They had a pasture where they kept some livestock and various deer and an Ostrich. They drove a pickup truck to dump bales of hay for the animals and we'd watch as that Ostrich chased the truck all over that field.
ReplyDeleteThat is called MOTIVATION! :-)
ReplyDeleteI like this comment at youtube, "The closest experience you can have to being chased by a velociraptor". My thought exactly.
ReplyDeletePeter, do you cure and smoke that ostrich breast before eating it? I like smoked chicken and turkey; I have had a cured and smoked turkey that tasted a bit like ham.
ReplyDeleteDarn and I thought getting chased by a 3 legged Irish Wolfhound when I delivered papers was bad...
ReplyDelete@BillB: No curing or smoking necessary. Fresh from slaughter, an ostrich breast is red meat, very similar to beef (except it feels slimy to the touch - that goes away when cooking). Pan-fried or oven-baked, it's absolutely delicious, and has zero cholesterol. It's one of the healthiest meats out there.
ReplyDeleteAnother case of only really having to be faster than the other rider.
ReplyDeleteDid the ostrich go "Beep Beep"?
ReplyDeleteExtra motivation to 'Beat Feet' is if that ostrich was replaced by a fellow big bird named the Cassowary.
ReplyDeleteKey point: Birds are dinosaurs, descendants of the hardy ones who made it through the KT meteor crash. I've only had to deal with an occasional ticked-off rooster or a peeved Canada goose while biking. Dealing with a dinosaur bigger than me? Pedal harder!
ReplyDeleteThis is a very emu sing article. (Don't blame me, blame Eric Frank Russell in the short story Top Secret). BTW please post an update as to when we Maxwellphiles can expect to see Venom Strike or did I miss a post?
ReplyDelete