Meet The Endangered: North African Ostrich
North African Ostrich (Struthio camelus camelus)
65 million years ago the largest dinosaurs were as tall as ten story buildings and weighed as much as 13 elephants. Today the largest dinosaur in the world is the North African Ostrich, which - as the biggest bird (avian dinosaur) in the world - tops out at a mere 2.75 m (9 ft) and 150 kg (330 lbs).
Also known as the Red-Necked Ostrich for its distinctive pinkish-red hue, the bird is a subspecies of the much more numerous Common Ostrich (endemic in Western and Southern Africa). Unlike its cousins, however, the North African Ostrich is critically endangered, threatened by desertification, habitat fragmentation, and poaching for their meat, eggs, and exquisite skin.
This ostrich is the fastest animal on two legs, reaching speeds of 70 km/h (43 mph) and its muscular legs provide a kick powerful enough to kill a lion. It also has the largest eyes of any land animal (larger even than its brain), which provide excellent long range vision to detect predators.
Presently confined to the Sahel, reintroduction efforts have begun further north, in Morocco and Tunisia. Genetic analysis has also revealed that the North African Ostrich is very closely related to the extinct Arabian Ostrich, and efforts are underway to introduce the species in Western Asia to replace its long-lost cousin.
IUCN: Critically Endangered (CR)