The Sauropoda were the largest terrestrial animals ever to have lived on this planet. As their nutritional requirements were so huge, their diet holds sway over the ecology of many Mesozoic herbivores. The diet of the sauropods is limited by their feeding envelope, which in turn is governed by the posture and flexibility of their elongate necks. Yet the exact nature of the flexibility and postu...

The demand for ostrich meat and other products is increasing. The primary problem facing the industry is a lack of information on the nutrient requirements of these birds, particularly neonatal birds. This may be partly responsible for the high mortality of chicks and the lack of expansion of the industry. Knowledge of the development of the ostrich’s anatomy and digestive function is limited. ...

In ostrich farming, gastric diseases are usual causes of increased mortality and economic losses. Infectious and non-infectious pathogens can damage the gastrointestinal tract, affecting the digestive process. Gastric impaction may be characterized by anorexia, cachexia, dehydration, apathy, decubitus, and dry and reduced feces. Chronic anorexia result in progressive loss on the reproductive pe...

Commercial ostrich farming is constrained by the absence of a formal animal recording and evaluation scheme as well as by current farming practices. Artificial insemination may have an important role in overcoming these limitations, but requires a thorough knowledge of sperm morphology. Although the morphological characteristics of normal ostrich sperm have been documented, little information i...

The study of egg-laying patterns and defining ways increasing productivity is a necessary condition for the development increased efficiency ostrich breeding. Therefore, some studies deal with egg ostriches different age groups (group 1 - 8-9 years, group 2 4-5 years) their long-term keeping under semi-intensive system forest-steppe zone Ukraine. sex ratio in families was 1: 2-3. Behavioral pou...

Owing to their cursorial background, ostriches (Struthio camelus) walk and run with high metabolic economy, can reach very fast running speeds and quickly execute cutting manoeuvres. These capabilities are believed to be a result of their ability to coordinate muscles to take advantage of specialized passive limb structures. This study aimed to infer the functional roles of ostrich pelvic limb ...

The organic component of the avian eggshell can be divided into 3 portions, the shell membranes, the matrix and the cuticle. These have been well characterised in the chicken but little has been published with regard to the ostrich (Struthio camelus). A number of recent studies have indicated that the cause of intra-shell embryonic deaths in the ostrich is similar to intra-shell embryonic death...

The responses of rectal temperature (RT), respiratory rate (RR) and heart rate (HR) of ostrich (struthio camelus) chicks during road transportation were investigated using standard recording procedures. The RT and RR of the ostriches increased significantly (P<0.05) from 39.5 ± 0.1 0C and 12.2 ± 2.0 breaths per minute (bpm), respectively, before transportation, to 40.2 ± 0.3 0C and 50.7 ± 9.1 b...