h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

This is my first post, and it is entirely pointless, but therein lies its point. I think.

Basically, I want to know why ostriches are like they are. Specifically:

1) Why cant they fly?
2) Why can they run so fast?
3) Why do they have such long necks?
4) Why do they have two toes?
And
5) Why are they so curious?

I look forward to hearing from you all.

1. Ostriches can't fly because they can run fast. The big muscles needed to allow them to run are too heavy to allow them to fly as well.

2. They can run fast because this is the ecological niche they have evolved to occupy. Running helps them evade predators. The ones that run fastest don't get eaten and have more babies than the ones that run slowly and get eaten.

3. They have long necks so that their mouths can reach the ground! If they have long legs and short necks, they'd have problems eating and drinking.

4. Two toes is more efficient than three, four or five when you run fast. Horses have carried this to extreme and have only one toe on each foot.

5. Why are they curious? I don't know.

Isn't is cats that are curious?? "curiosity killed the ostrich" just doesnt have quite the same ring to it...

I've always been a big fan of the ostrich, but it's suprisingly hard to find info about them on the net.

Ah, but curiousity didnt kill the ostrich, because they are still here. Hmm, maybe there's something in that...

I s'pose not - but curiosity didnt really kill the cat either...