Struthio

Struthio Fossil range: Pliocene–Present PreЄ Є O S D C P T J K Pg N Pliocene to Recent
Ostrich, male and female
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Subphylum:	Vertebrata
Class:	Aves
Subclass:	Neornithes
Superorder:	Paleognathae
Order:	Struthioniformes
Family:	Struthionidae (Vigors, 1825)[1]
Genus:	Struthio (Linnaeus, 1758)[1]
Species
†Struthio coppensi †Struthio linxiaensis †Struthio orlovi †Struthio wimani †Struthio brachydactylus †Struthio asiaticus Asian ostrich †Struthio dmanisensis †Struthio oldawayi Struthio camelus Ostrich
Diversity
9 Species, 5 possible species

Struthio is a genus in the order Struthioniformes, in which the Ostrich is the only extant species.

Species

There are nine known species from this genus, of which eight are extinct. There are five more possible species of which trace fossils have been found. They are:

• †Struthio coppensi (Early Miocene of Elizabethfeld, Namibia)
• †Struthio linxiaensis (Liushu Late Miocene of Yangwapuzijifang, China)
• †Struthio orlovi (Late Miocene of Moldavia)
• †Struthio karingarabensis (Late Miocene - Early Pliocene of SW and CE Africa) - oospecies(?)
• †Struthio kakesiensis (Laetolil Early Pliocene of Laetoli, Tanzania) - oospecies
• †Struthio wimani (Early Pliocene of China and Mongolia)
• †Struthio daberasensis (Early - Middle Pliocene of Namibia) - oospecies
• †Struthio brachydactylus (Pliocene of Ukraine)
• †Struthio chersonensis (Pliocene of SE Europe to WC Asia) - oospecies
• †Struthio asiaticus, Asian Ostrich (Early Pliocene - Late Pleistocene of Central Asia to China ?and Morocco)
• †Struthio dmanisensis, Giant ostrich(Late Pliocene/Early Pleistocene of Dmanisi, Georgia)
• †Struthio oldawayi (Early Pleistocene of Tanzania) - probably subspecies of S. camelus
• †Struthio anderssoni - oospecies(?)
• Struthio camelus, Ostrich extant
  • Struthio camelus molybdophanes, Somali Ostrich

Fossil records and egg shell fragments show that the ancestors of this genus originated about 40-58 million years ago (mya) in the Asiatic steppes as small flightless birds. By about 12 mya they had evolved into the larger size of which we are familiar. By this time they had spread to Mongolia and, later, South Africa.^[2]

Footnotes

References

• Brands, Sheila (Aug 14 2008). "Systema Naturae 2000 / Classification, Family Struthionidae". Project: The Taxonomicon. http://www.taxonomy.nl/Main/Classification/51243.htm. Retrieved Feb 04 2009. 
• Davies, S.J.J.F. (2003). "Ostriches". in Hutchins, Michael. Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia. 8 Birds I Tinamous and Ratites to Hoatzins (2 ed.). Farmington Hills, MI: Gale Group. p. 99. ISBN 0 7876 5784 0.