ratites

ratites [order struthioniformes] are basal, flightless birds. what's cool about them is that, unlike most birds, their sternum is unkeeled:

that blue bit in the picture is a keeled sternum. it's great for flight because it's a place where a lot of breast muscle can attach for lift off! but ratites don't fly, so they don't have the keeled bit. in fact, their anterior limbs hardly even exist! i think it helps them run faster. ostriches can run up to 40 mph, holy smokes!

i can't decide which ratite is my favorite, but i've narrowed it down to cassowaries and kiwis:

cassowaries:

1. BIG

2. colorful

4. head crest

5. terrifying

kiwis:

1. smallest of the order

2. long, thin beak for bug eatin'

3. national symbol of New Zealand

4. largest egg-to-body ratio of ...all birds, i think. something like 42% of the bird's mass is egg.

now THAT'S commitment!