Running Wild

Question: If you ever found yourself being chased by wildlife in the African Serengeti, which one of these animals would catch you first?

Answer: Ostrich

Ever wonder why Wile E. Coyote could never catch the Road Runner in those classic Saturday morning Looney Tunes cartoons? He would have just as much trouble with an ostrich. Among the fastest animals on two legs, ostriches are capable of sprinting up to 45 miles per hour. And don’t bother trying to fool them with any quick cuts, either. Using their wings as rudders, they remain perfectly balanced while easily changing direction as they blaze across the savannah. While generally not aggressive, their powerful kicks can still be quite dangerous (although they can only kick forward, so that’s a small saving grace). Still, it’s not a good idea to get in a footrace with any of Africa’s wildlife ...

To get an idea of how fast the wildlife of Africa is, just watch any predator chasing down its prey along the Serengeti. If it all seems like a blur, there’s a good reason—Africa is home to many of the fastest animals in the world. It’s survival of the fittest on the African savanna, so these creatures have evolved to possess exceptional speed and agility. That way, they can outrun predators, chase down prey, or simply cover long distances in search of food and water. Which brings us to the ostrich ...

The Fast and the Furry-ous

How is it possible that this giant, gawky-looking flightless bird turns out to be the Usain Bolt of the Serengeti? As mentioned, ostriches have a top speed of 45 mph. But where they truly excel is their stamina. No one can outrun a cheetah—the fastest land animal in the world—but they only achieve their breakneck speeds over short distances. An ostrich, however, can maintain a steady speed of something like 35 mph over enormous distances. A Kenyan runner, John Korir, recently won the Boston Marathon, running it in a record-breaking time of 2 hours, 1 minute, and 52 seconds. If someone were able to snag a numbered jersey for an ostrich, it could do it in 40 minutes.

At more than eight feet tall and weighing about 220 pounds, with distinctive protruding necks and great round bodies, these giants of the savanna are hard to miss. Actually, though, two different species of ostrich are native to Africa (and a few subspecies)—the common ostrich and a smaller version found in Somalia, Ethiopia, and Kenya that is equally fast. No matter what the species, though, no ostrich is going to win any beauty contest. And those bodies are about the furthest thing from the sleek aerodynamic lines of a cheetah. So, how are they able to move so fast then, and what are the wings for if they can’t even fly?

Soaring like an eagle, grounded like an ostrich

Most people assume ostriches can’t fly because they’re too heavy. And that’s sort of  true. But on the lengthy evolutionary timeline, that weight gain is a very recent development. Ostriches have been around for millions of years and are one of the oldest animals in Africa. When dinosaurs ruled the Earth, they were much lighter and had the ability to fly—which came in handy with all those giant predators around. They only became flightless after the dinosaurs were wiped out. Why fly with all the major predators gone? Flying isn’t as easy as it looks, and when bird species can get all their food on the ground and don’t need to fly to escape predators, the tendency is to evolve into being flightless. (It doesn’t always work out, however. The dodo was a flightless bird in Mauritius that had no natural predators. When humans arrived in the late 1500s, they happily approached them, which led to their extinction in the 1600s.)

When their predators disappeared, ostriches then had free reign to all the vegetation previously consumed by the dinosaurs. The all-you-can-eat buffet packed the weight on, and they eventually became too large for their wings to carry them. So, if they don’t fly, why do they still have wings?

Wings or not, ostriches are built for speed

It sounds counterintuitive, but the running speed of an ostrich is all related to those wings. With a span of more than six and half feet, ostriches use them to steer and balance themselves while running at high speeds. Just like an airplane in flight, an ostrich will use subtle wing movements to help maintain balance. And evolution won’t be removing them any time soon either. If an ostrich didn’t have wings, it would only be able to run in a straight line.

Their speed also comes from their light legs. With both feet leaving the ground at the same time, their legs cover more than 16 feet in a single stride as they bound across the African savanna. Leopards and lions have thick leg muscles to help them run fast, but the legs of an ostrich are long and slender to focus on balance and acceleration. The science behind running fast is the same for everyone—you either increase the length of your stride or the frequency of your steps. The incredible stride of an ostrich is due to their long legs (the longest of all flightless birds); and because the muscles are closer to their bodies, they can swing their legs faster than most animals. The muscles provide them with power, and they get their distance from the long, light legs.

If it all makes sense so far, what about those big bellies? Not very aerodynamic looking, you would think they would be a hindrance to an ostrich’s speed. But they aren’t. Like most birds, all of an ostrich’s vital organs are kept snug and secure under their wings and don’t get in the way of their slender running legs. The reason flying birds land effortlessly on a perch is because their center of gravity facilitates excellent maneuverability. Same with an ostrich. They may not look graceful on their high-speed runs, but because their center of gravity is between their long legs and wings, they are always perfectly balanced. Humans and lots of animals tire easily because the leg muscles are used both to propel forward and keep the body going in a straight line. For an ostrich, it’s more efficient, with all the leg’s muscle power used to propel it forward, allowing it to maintain a high speed over much longer distances.

Catch me if you can ...

The reason ostriches run so fast is probably obvious. Since they can’t fly, they needed something else to escape predators. In short bursts, a lion can run just as fast as an ostrich—but they tire quickly. Animals like hyenas and wild dogs aren’t all that fast. Instead, they chase their prey over long distances to run it to exhaustion. It’s that combination of speed and endurance that makes the ostrich near untouchable on the plains of Africa.

It’s tempting to catch sight of an ostrich and think “what a silly looking animal.” But catching one on the run while on safari is truly an incredible sight. It’s even more fun tracking one over a long distance. Or it would be, if only your safari vehicle were able to keep up ...

More fascinating facts about ostriches—and a few more Africa’s fastest animals

• Big Bird—In case it wasn’t clear, the ostrich is the largest bird on Earth. They tower over the emu, the second tallest bird (who is over six feet tall), and outweigh the second heaviest bird, the cassowary, by about 200 pounds. Their eyes aren't just the biggest of any bird—they’re the biggest of any land animal.
• So where are my royalties?—Ostriches were used to create the computer-generated raptors of the 2015 film, Jurassic World. Animators were striving for authenticity, and the size and gait of the ostriches provided the closest living approximation of the prehistoric raptor. The onscreen dinosaurs’ running style only varied in one area: Instead of keeping their heads upright like ostriches do, the raptors were animated to lean forward to make them appear more aggressive.
• Makes for quick pedicures—While most birds have three or four toes per foot, another unique feature of the ostrich is that they have just two toes on each foot. It is believed that the digit cutback reduces the mass at the end of the ostrich’s legs and improves the ostrich’s running form. Evolution over millennia has also ditched extra toes and made better runners of hoofed animals like horses, antelopes, and camels.
• Next, you’ll say there’s no Santa Claus—Ostriches don’t bury their heads in the sand. The comical cliché, which has been around since Roman times, likely originated from seeing ostriches bend down to rotate their eggs, which are sometimes buried one or two feet deep.
• Must be all that running—Ostriches live an average of 30 to 40 years in the wild and up to 70 years in captivity. They continue to breed well into old age.
• Feathering the nest—Ostrich feathers have always been used for brooms or to swat mosquitoes. But they were especially prized in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when they were used to make boas, fans, hats, and capes for women. At their peak, a pound of ostrich feathers cost almost as much as diamonds.
• Ya know why I pulled you over?—The fastest land animal in Africa (and the world) is the cheetah. Capable of reaching speeds of up to 74 mph, cheetahs can accelerate from 0 to 60 in as little as three seconds—which is about the same as a Ferrari. But they can only sustain those top speeds for very short bursts. Non-retractable claws on their long legs give them extra grip on the ground, and they use their tails to help with balance while changing direction. Unlike lions and leopards, cheetahs lack the ability to roar, communicating through chirps, purrs, and strange bird-like yips instead.
• More snoring than roaring—With up to 550 pounds of powerful muscle, lions can average a top speed of about 37 mph while chasing down prey. These fierce hunters can’t maintain that speed for long, of course, so they often rely on ambush techniques to get close to their prey before striking (which is why they can take down a faster ostrich on occasion). To conserve energy for these intense bursts of activity, lions will spend up to 20 hours a day snoozing. And you thought your precious little house cat slept a lot!
• Built for speed, not beauty—Another surprising African speedster is the wildebeest. In spite of its poor eyesight and a body that appears to have been created from spare parts, the wildebeest can reach a top speed of 50 mph. As seen in nature films, big cats can sometime take down a wildebeest when they catch them unawares. But with the annual migration as training, wildebeest are true distance runners and can maintain high speeds practically forever.
• Don’t judge a “bok” by its cover—The only other land animals in Africa that can outrun an ostrich are a few members of the antelope family. These include springboks, small antelopes that use a combination of speed and agility to evade predators. Along with sprinting at about 55 mph, they leap close to seven feet in the air (called “pronking”) to confuse predators. The pronking also serves to showcase a springbok’s skills so he can attract potential mates. If the name sounds familiar, springboks hold a special place in South African culture, serving as its national animal and featured on the emblem of the country’s rugby team, known as the Springboks.
• Tommy guns it—Like a springbok, a Thomson’s gazelle possesses remarkable stamina and speed. With legs that propel them to top speeds of 50-55 mph, they also have the ability to quickly produce sharp, zig-zag turns that exhaust predators. Over longer distances they can outrun all of them—which is good, since these little guys are a cheetah’s favorite meal. Named for Scottish explorer Joseph Thomson, it is usually referred to as a “tommy.” Like a springbok, a tommy is also known to show off with a bit of pronking.
• Cape Fear—No other land animals can outrun an ostrich, including the Cape buffalo, one of Africa’s “Big Five.” Though hardly slow, these great beasts can still reach top speeds of 35 mph—not bad for hauling up to 2,000 pounds of body weight. Cape buffalo get by more on their bulk, strength, and herding behavior to repel attacks. Fiercely protective, mothers will defend calves with whatever it takes, confronting and often killing lions and hyenas.
• You like me, you really like me—When courting females, male ostriches will do things like extending their wings, crouching down, and rocking their entire bodies side to side. At an ostrich ranch in the U.K., farmers observed both male and female ostriches making sexual overtones to humans whenever they were around—they were getting turned on by people! And a 1998 study supported their suspicions. What was discovered is that a strange cross-species attraction seemed to apply to ostriches who had been raised by humans from birth. When humans approached ostriches in the wild, however, the birds acted aggressively or ignored them completely—you know, normally.

Whether running at top speed or lazing to conserve energy, wildlife will put on an impressive show during Kenya & Tanzania Safari: Masai Mara to the Serengeti.