While working on a description of the main character in my new story, A CATCH IN TIME, I became very curious if ostriches really did bury their heads in the sand. Well, after a little research it seems that's just an old wives' tale.
According to Wonderopolis.org:
"Have you ever heard someone say that someone has their head buried in the sand? Do they mean that another person has literally buried their head in a hole in the ground and covered it with sand? Of course not!
"What in the world are they talking about then? When people say someone has their head buried in the sand, they are claiming that the person is ignoring obvious facts or refusing to accept advice, hoping that simply denying the existence of a problem will make it go away.
"This popular is believed to have originated with observations of ostriches that appear to bury their heads in the sand to avoid predators. Some people think this behavior results from the fact that ostriches are so stupid that they believe burying their heads will make them invisible to predators. In other words, if they can't see the predators, then the predators can't see them.
"Animal experts, however, will tell you that this belief that ostriches bury their heads in the sand to avoid predators is nothing more than a myth. After all, if an ostrich buried its head in the sand, it would soon die of asphyxiation. Given what we know about ostriches, though, it's easy to see how this myth got started.
"Ostriches are the largest and heaviest living birds in the world. Despite standing seven to nine feet tall and weighing as much as 350 pounds, these birds have relatively small heads. When nesting, they dig shallow holes in the ground to use as nests for their eggs. They use their beaks to turn their eggs several times each day. From a distance, an ostrich leaning into a hole to turn an egg could easily look like it's burying its head in the sand!"
To Read More –– such as can ostriches fly and where do they live –– Please Visit:
http://wonderopolis.org/wonder/do-ostriches-really-bury-their-heads-in-the-sand
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