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The Ostrich and the Lion rarely come face to face, but it is easier to predict that the Lion will beat the Ostrich when such confrontation happens. Ostriches do possess powerful legs and can cover a distance of up to 31 meters per hour on a long-distance journey or up to 35 meters per hour on short trips. They also use their powerful legs to their advantage, especially when in contact with prey and predators. For this reason, they remain some of the most powerful birds in the world today.
So, Can an Ostrich Kill a Lion?
Yes, an Ostrich can kill a lion, but only when the Lion corners it. The Ostrich can deliver powerful kicks with its legs that break Lion’s bones and piece through its muscles.
Facts About Ostriches
Ostriches are capable of killing lions regardless of whether the lions are adult or younger cubs. It is essential to look at the physical structures of the Ostrich to see where the animal will gain a competitive edge against the Lion.
Ostrich is Very Tall and Heavy
Despite achieving a peak speed when they are running from predators, Ostriches weigh a lot. An adult Ostrich, for instance, can weigh up to 350 lbs. The Ostrich is a flightless bird and can be found individually, in pairs, or small flocks, depending on the year’s season.
An Ostrich Can Attain 9 feet Height.
An adult Ostrich can grow to 9 feet in height, making it one of the tallest birds in the world today. Almost half of the Height of the Ostrich is in the neck
Powerful Legs
Ostriches have long and powerful legs that can run up to 43 mph at full speed. The legs are two-toed, and that structure makes it easier for the animal to stamp on prey especially smaller ones. It is the hoof-like toe that the bird used in escaping from predators, significantly larger carnivores.
Lifespan of Ostrich
The Ostrich has a lifespan of 40-50 years. Though this is the lifespan of the wild Ostrich, domesticated Ostrich may have much less lifespan.
The Ostrich Body
The ostrich body can vary; for instance, the adult male feathers can be primarily black with some white patches on the tail and white primaries. The adult female and young males have gray-brown colored feathers. The head and neck of the female and male ostriches are almost bald.
Ostrich Diet
Ostrich is predominantly omnivore. Ostriches will eat plants, seeds, and roots, and occasionally they will consume insects. Contrary to popular belief that Ostriches bury their heads in the ground, but they do such to become less visible to predators nearby.
Social Life
Ostriches live in small herds of less than a dozen birds. All the hens in the group do place their eggs in a single nest. The alpha males do maintain the flocks, while the hens do take turns to incubate the eggs. Ostrich females can produce up to two dozen eggs at the same time. Ostriches don’t have a particular mating season, but females often initiate mating by playing hide and seek with the males.
Facts About Lions
The Lion is one of the fiercest animals in the world. It is quick and also has prey-handling solid skills that make it one of the most feared animals. The strengths and weaknesses of the Lion are highlighted below;
Adult Lions weigh between 350 and 500 lbs.
At full maturity, an adult male lion can weigh between 350 and 500 lbs. at full maturity. The female lioness usually attains between 300 and 400 lbs. of weight at full maturity. Younger lions do weigh much less while growing.
Lions Can Attain a Height of 1.73m
Lions don’t particularly grow tall, as most often grow under 5 feet in Height. A fully matured adult lion may, however, attain up to 5 feet 8 inches.
Lions Have Strong and Compact Bodies
A lion is known for its string and compact body structure. The forelegs are very powerful, and the teeth and jaw are strong enough to tear through the bodies of their prey and can even break or cause damages to their bones.
Almost Similar Coats and Color
Aside from rare species like the white Lion, most lions possess yellow-gold coats, while the adult and fully-grown lions may develop some shaggy manes that vary in color, including blond, reddish-brown and black. The mane of the Lion may also vary in length, which is determined by the age, hormones, and genetic composition of the animal.
Lions are Social Felines
Lions are considered some of the most social felines, as they can move around in groups of up to 40 individuals, including adults and cubs. The availability of prey may determine the number of lions moving within the group.
Reproduction and Lifespan
The female lions are only receptive to the males for few days several times a year. Unless the female lions are pregnant, sick, or nursing young cubs, they can mate with males around their ovulation periods.
Females will typically give birth to up to four cubs after a gestation period of around 3 ½ months. They can deliver up to a litter of cubs every one or two years. They also raise their young cubs for about six months before those cubs become independent, though they will still hunt in groups with the adults.
The lions in the zoo may live for up to 20 years and, in exceptional cases, more, while the wild lions may live up to sixteen years, with most males living up to 12 years.
Feeding
Lions are predominantly Carnivores and can feed on large animals weighing up to 1000 lbs. In the period of shortages, lions can feed on smaller animals like reptiles and rodents. Lions are also known to steal food from other larger animals like hyenas and leopards.
Ostrich vs. Lion
Since the adult Ostrich and Lion share similar weight, it seems there is a bit of a level playing field in this aspect. Who wins the battle will now depend on other factors.
When you consider the heights of the two animals, the Ostrich seems to have an edge as it can attain up to 9 feet height at full maturity, which gives him an edge in the air over the Lion. With such incredible Height, the Ostrich can bite chunks of flesh from the upper body parts of the Lion, causing lots of injuries.
Many people also consider the powerful legs of an Ostrich as another edge the animal has over a Lion. With such legs, the Ostrich can stamp on a lion and cause fatal damages to any part of its body.
One of Lion’s weaknesses when attacking the Ostrich is that the bird is flightless. This means that if the Lion is fast enough, it can catch the bird because it has no wings to fly out of range.
The main toe of the Ostrich develops into a hoof-like structure which can penetrate or crush preys with ease.
Lions, on the other hand are stronger than Ostrich in terms of their compact body structures. They have powerful forelegs that can stamp an Ostrich to the ground. Their teeth and jaws can pull down the Ostrich that is almost on the ground
Another edge that the Lion has is that it moves normally within a group. This means that an Ostrich will likely be attacked by a group of lions instead of a single stray lion.
Another area where the Lion will have an edge over the Ostrich is the powerful jaw and dentition the Lion has. The Lion’s jaw is powerful enough to chew and swallow chunk of meat of their prey. The dentition of the Lion comprises of powerful incisor that can pierce through the flesh of the animal, causing lacerations and eventually causing the death of the prey.
When it comes to speed, it bothers down to the response and initial takeoff speed of the two animals. The Ostrich will likely escape if it takes off early after spotting the Lion. The Lion on the other hand will have an edge if it moves closer to the Ostrich before the bird discovers the danger around it.
Conclusion
In addition to the strength and weaknesses of the Lion and Ostrich, time and chances can also play critical roles in determining who wins a battle between the animals. It will also depend on the situation on the ground. It will be easier for the Lion to kill an ostrich, for instance if the Lion is within its herd containing other lions. The Ostrich also can defeat a lion if the bird is within its herd , and the state of health of the Lion.
