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A 7‐year‐old female ostrich (Struthio camelus) presented with lameness, left intertarsal joint swelling and a healing wound on the caudomedial aspect of the joint. Synovial culture revealed Corynebacterium species and radiographs were consistent with progressive septic arthritis. Multiple treatments were attempted including through‐and‐through joint lavage, intra‐articular antibiotics, caudomedial arthrotomy, and regional limb perfusion in conjunction with systemic antibiotics and analgesia. Euthanasia was ultimately performed due to prolonged recumbency and poor prognosis. This report describes novel therapies and a surgical approach utilized for treatment of intertarsal septic arthritis in an ostrich and exemplifies the poor prognosis described in other species presenting with non‐responsive septic arthritis of critical joints., A female ostrich (Struthio camelus) presented with left intertarsal septic arthritis that was culture positive for Corynebacterium. This report describes novel therapies and a surgical approach utilized for attempted treatment of intertarsal septic arthritis in an ostrich and exemplifies the poor prognosis described in other species presenting with non‐responsive septic arthritis of critical joints.

The primary goal of this study was to document the gross morphological and histological structure and histomorphometrical measurements of the intestines and digestive glands of ostrich (Struthio camelus) in relation to advancing age and sex. A total of 40 clinically healthy ostriches of either sex [(20 males, 20 females comprising of two age groups, viz, immature (1 month to 2.4 years) and adult (2.5 to 10 years)] of equal size were selected. Immediately after collection, morphological studies were carried out on all organs. Histological and histometrical studies were conducted on paraffin-embedded tissue sections with Image J® analysis software. Macroscopic parameters of the intestines, liver and pancreas invariably showed a rapid increase (P

Struthio camelus spatzi Stresemann, 1926: 139. Holotype: Egg, Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin, ZMB B.1180a (not examined). Referred specimen: Adult male skeleton ZMB 36879 Stresemann, 1927: 135. Remark: The skeleton ZMB 36879 comes from one of three birds, referred to by Stresemann (1927) as ‘cotypes’, kept at that time in Berlin Zoo. Expanded diagnosis: Smaller than the living subspecies (with most dimensions 88–100%) except for the synsacrum (Supporting Information, Table S3), postacetabular pelvis (Supporting Information, Table S4), distal ends of the humerus (Supporting Information, Table S2), femur except for a smaller corpus diameter (Supporting Information, Table S5), and pedal phalanges III/1 and III/2 (Fig. 2; Supporting Information, Tables S9 and S10). Tarsometatarsus length S. c. syriacus). The ratio of the length of tibiotarsus to tarsometatarsus is> 1.15, compared with 1.11–1.14 in extant ostriches. Phalanges III/1 and III/2 are as in extant ostriches, with the respective total lengths of ~ 90 mm (in the lower range of S. c. camelus) and 60 mm (as in S. c. camelus). The ratio of the length of tarsometatarsus to phalanx III/2 is 7.1, compared with 7.6–9.0 (8.0–9.0 for males) in extant ostriches. The pattern of egg pores of the intermediate type is as described by Schönwetter (1927), Sauer (1968, 1972) and Mikhailov & Zelenkov (2020). crista plantaris mediana; ct, crista trochanteris; dl, foramen dorsale laterale; dm, foramen dorsale mediale; em, epicondylus medialis; fd, facies tibialis distalis; ff, facies femoralis; fg, facies glenoidalis; fl, fovea ligmenti capitis; fm, foramen plantare mediale; fp, facies tibialis proximalis; fpl, foramen plantare laterale; il, impressio ligamenti collateralis medialis longi; l, condylus lateralis; ll, labrum laterale; lm, labrum mediale; m, condylus medialis; p, processus procoracoideus; pc, processus craniolateralis (sternocoracoideus); pm, foramen plantare mediale; sf, semicondylus fibularis; sp, sulcus patellaris; st, semicondylus tibiofibularis; t, trochanter; tf, tuberositas femoralis; ti, tuberculum m. iliofibularis; tIII, trochlea metatarsi III; tIV, trochlea metatarsi IV; tl, trabecula lateralis; tt, tuberositas tibialis. For explanation of measurement tags, see Table 1. SKELETAL VARIATION AND SEXUAL DIMORPHISM Although the coefficients of variation of most measurements in the living ostriches do not exceed 6% (Supporting Information, Tables S2–S 13), some of them are distinctly higher as a result of variable ossification (intrinsic variation) or, in addition, some indeterminacy owing to the absence of exact measurement points when taking minimum width or depth measurements across continuous surfaces. A high intrinsic variability affects single details, such as the sternal interspinal width (CV = 7.4), pelvic angular width (CV = 10.1), the cranial (CV = 8.5) and caudal (CV = 12.1) interforaminal distances of the tarsometatarsus and the proximal width between the cotylar margins of phalanx III/1 (CV = 7.1). The indeterminacy and variability of measurement position might have contributed to the variation of the sternal postcostal width (CV = 9.6), pelvic postacetabular width (CV = 8.9), fibular corpus width (CV = 8.8), tarsometatarsal corpus depth (CV = 8.4) and many transverse measurements of phalanx III/2: corpus width (CV = 9.1), apical width (CV = 7.0), trochlear depth (CV = 7.1) and foveal width (CV = 7.1), with the foveal width also being highly variable in phalanx III/3 (CV = 9.5). The most variable and thus the least usable measurement turned out to be the interischiadic width (ischiadic span) of the pelvis (CV = 19.9), suggesting a strong intrinsic component of this variability in addition to the indeterminacy of the measurement point. With a notable exception for the length of the tibiotarsus (Supporting Information, Table S6) and, especially, the tarsometatarsus (Supporting Information, Table S8), most measurement values (71 of 95medians), including the transverse measurements of the tibiotarsus and tarsometatarsus, tend to be higher in females. However, the differences proved to be statistically significant or near-significant in only 14 measurements (Table 2). In ten of them, the ostrich females have consistently wider and/or deeper ends of limb bones, which suggests that the female skeleton (at least the appendicular skeleton) is more robust even if the males are taller owing to longer tarsometatarsi and tibiotarsi. Only three bones, namely the scapulocoracoid, humerus and pedal phalanx III/3, are significantly longer compared with males., Published as part of Elzanowski, Andrzej & Louchart, Antoine, 2022, Metric variation in the postcranial skeleton of ostriches, Struthio (Aves: Palaeognathae), with new data on extinct subspecies, pp. 88-105 in Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 195 (1) on pages 95-97, DOI: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlab049, http://zenodo.org/record/6530641, {"references":["Stresemann E. 1926. Die Vogelausbeute des Herrn Paul Spatz in Rio de Oro. Ornithologische Monatsberichte 34: 137 - 139.","Stresemann E. 1927. Ueber die einstige Verbreitung von Struthio camelus in Algerien. Ornithologische Monatsberichte 35: 135 - 136.","Schonwetter M. 1927. Die Eier von Struthio camelus spatzi Stresemann. Ornithologische Monatsberichte 35: 13 - 17.","Sauer EGF. 1968. Calculations of struthious egg sizes from measurements of shell fragments and their correlation with phylogenetic aspects. Cimbebasia A 1: 27 - 55.","Sauer EGF. 1972. Ratite eggshell and phylogenetic questions. Bonner Zoologische Beitrage 23: 3 - 48.","Mikhailov KE, Zelenkov N. 2020. The late Cenozoic history of the ostriches (Aves: Struthionidae), as revealed by fossil eggshell and bone remains. Earth Science Reviews 208: 103270."]}

Temperature has a crucial influence on the places where species can survive and reproduce. Past research has primarily focused on survival, making it unclear if temperature fluctuations constrain reproductive success, and if so whether populations harbour the potential to respond to climatic shifts. Here, using two decades of data from a large experimental breeding programme of the iconic ostrich (Struthio camelus) in South Africa, we show that the number of eggs females laid and the number of sperm males produced were highly sensitive to natural temperature extremes (ranging from −5 °C to 45 °C). This resulted in reductions in reproductive success of up to 44% with 5 °C deviations from their thermal optimum. In contrast, gamete quality was largely unaffected by temperature. Extreme temperatures also did not expose trade-offs between gametic traits. Instead, some females appeared to invest more in reproducing at high temperatures, which may facilitate responses to climate change. These results show that the robustness of fertility to temperature fluctuations, and not just temperature increases, is a critical aspect of species persistence in regions predicted to undergo the greatest change in climate volatility., Climate change may pose a challenge not only for survival of animals but also for their reproduction. Here, Schou et al. analyse how male and female ostrich fertility relates to fluctuating temperature across 20 years, finding reduced fertility away from the thermal optimum, but also individual variation in thermal tolerance.

El yacimiento de Torrellano (Mioceno Superior, provincia de Alicante) ha proporcionado cientos de fragmentos de cáscara de tipo básico ornitoide, caracterizadas fundamentalmente por su gran grosor y por presentar los poros en el interior de hendiduras alargadas. Se han encontrado cáscaras de estructura similar en numerosos yacimientos del Terciario y Cuaternario de Asia, África y Europa. En todos los casos se ha establecido su semejanza con las cáscaras de la extinta ratite gigante Aepyornis maximus (Aepyornithidae). Se describen las cáscaras del nuevo yacimiento de Torrellano y se comparan con material similar. Algunos de los caracteres descritos han sido utilizados para realizar un análisis cladístico junto con ratites actuales (Struthio, Rhea, Apteryx, Dromaius, Casuarius), el género Tinamus, y material fósil (Diamantornis wardi, Diamantornis corbetti y Dinornithidae). El cladograma obtenido a partir de los datos de ratites actuales corrobora trabajos previos y muestra que los caracteres de las cáscaras están relacionados con la filogenia y son, por tanto, útiles para establecer hipótesis de parentesco. En este caso, el material de Torrellano, queda incluido dentro del crown group de ratites, aunque formando parte de una politomía que no puede resolverse con los caracteres empleados. Por otro lado, Struthio aparece como grupo hermano de los parataxones D. wardi y D. corbetti, lo cual podría confirmar las hipótesis existentes sobre la posible relación de estos parataxones con la familia Struthionidae.

To study the ostrich (Struthio camelus) foot sole with an irregular surface and papillae, we designed a multi-angle device to measure its friction properties on sand. The observed macro- and micro-structures of the ostrich foot sole intensified friction by tightly gripping sand particles. The sliding friction of the ostrich foot on a single-layer sand board increased with the enlarging particle size. A loose sand all-direction test showed that the coefficient of friction (COF) of the ostrich foot sole was higher than that of the nonpapillary foot. The COF of the ostrich foot sole minimized to 0.30 at 0° and maximized to 0.61 at 180°, and that of the nonpapillary foot minimized to 0.23 at 300° and maximized to 0.54 at 180°, suggesting the ostrich papillae exerted a friction effect. Significant differences in COF were observed among the ranges 10°-40°, 90° and 120°-350°, indicating the papillae can steadily enhance the frictional performance. This study provides an important theoretical basis for the design of frictional robots for deep space exploration and other soft media.

Canola meal (CM) is a locally produced protein source that may be less expensive than soybean meal (SBM). This study evaluated the effects of replacing 0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% SBM with CM in diets for slaughter ostriches. The CM was added at the expense of SBM and other concentrates, with minor changes in other ingredients. Birds (n = 15 per treatment) were reared from 77 to 337 days old on the trial diets, which were supplied ad libitum for starter, grower, and finisher phases. Bodyweights and feed intake were measured during these phases. No differences (P >0.05) were found between treatments for live weight at the end of each phase, dry matter intake (DMI), average daily gain (ADG) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) over all the growth phases. Although no differences were observed in live weight at the end of each phase, the birds reared on the diet with 50% CM were heaviest at slaughter, and birds reared with 100% CM were lightest (P 0.05) were observed between diets for fat pad weight, dressing percentage, and weights of thighs and Muscularis gastrocnemius. The results indicate that CM could replace SBM in the diets of slaughter ostriches without affecting production traits and slaughter yields.Keywords: alternative protein, average daily gain, canola, dry matter intake, feed conversion ratio, growth, ostrich nutrition, production

Struthio camelus camelus Linnaeus, 1758 LITERATURE. — Dowsett (1993); Portier et al. (2002); Dowsett et al. (2013); Borrow & Demey (2014). STATUS. — Probably extinct in the wild., Published as part of Boano, Giovanni, Belemsobgo, Urbain, Silvano, Fabrizio, Hema, Emmanuel M., Belemsobgo, Aristide, Dimobe, Kangbéni & Pavia, Marco, 2022, An annotated checklist of the birds of Burkina Faso, pp. 27-107 in Zoosystema 44 (2) on page 32, DOI: 10.5252/zoosystema2022v44a2, http://zenodo.org/record/5999691, {"references":["DOWSETT R. J. 1993. - Afrotropical avifaunas: annotated country checklists, in DOWSETT R. J. & DOWSETT- LEMAIRE F. (eds). A Contribution to the Distribution and Taxonomy of Afrotropical and Malagasy birds Tauraco Research Report 5, Tauraco Press, Liege: 1 - 322.","PORTIER B., LUNGREN C. & OUEDA G. H. 2002. - Birding in Burkina Faso, more than just birdwatching. Dutch Birding 24: 127 - 141.","DOWSETT R. J., ATKINSON P. W. & CADDICK J. A. 2013. - Checklist of the birds of Burkina Faso: 1 - 12. https: // www. africanbirdclub. org / [accessed 14 October 2013].","BORROW N. & DEMEY R. 2014. - Field Guide of the Birds of Western Africa. II edition. Christopher Helm, London, 592 p."]}

Extant cassowaries (Casuarius) are unique flightless birds found in the tropics of Indo-Australia. They have garnered substantial attention from anatomists with focus centered on the bony makeup and function of their conspicuous cranial casques, located dorsally above the orbits and neurocranium. The osteological patterning of the casque has been formally described previously; however, there are differing interpretations between authors. These variable descriptions suggest that an anatomical understanding of casque anatomy and its constituent elements may be enhanced by developmental studies aimed at further elucidating this bizarre structure. In the present study, we clarify casque osteology of the southern cassowary (C. casuarius) by detailing casque anatomy across an extensive growth series for the first time. We used micro-computed tomography (μCT) imaging to visualize embryonic development and post-hatching ontogeny through adulthood. We also sampled closely related emus (Dromaius novaehollandiae) and ostriches (Struthio camelus) to provide valuable comparative context. We found that southern cassowary casques are comprised of three paired (i.e., nasals, lacrimals, frontals) and two unpaired elements (i.e., mesethmoid, median casque element). Although lacrimals have rarely been considered as casque elements, the contribution to the casque structure was evident in μCT images. The median casque element has often been cited as a portion of the mesethmoid. However, through comparisons between immature C. casuarius and D. novaehollandiae, we document the median casque element as a distinct unit from the mesethmoid.

The present study describes an almost complete cervical region of the fossil ostrich Struthio karatheodoris from the Turolian locality of Kerassia (Euboea, Greece). The material comes from two dist...

Ostrich has been reared in Hungary for decades, but we have limited information on this species. The aim of this review was to provide a concise description of the ostrich (Struthio camelus) based on international studies. We were to investigate some of the most relevant parameters, such as egg, meat and skin production. In this critical review we managed to sum up the most significant features and productivity parameters of ostrich and effecting factors. So as to make an accurate description of the species we have to know its morphological, behavioural and physiological characteristics. Ostrich is a very special bird with special nutritional and environmental requirements. Ostrich products, regarding egg, meat and skin are considered luxury products not only in Hungary but also abroad. Though egg has a significant nutritional value, it is mainly used for hatching chicks. In Europe we can expect roughly 40–50 eggs from a hen yearly. Ostrich has a lean meat with high protein and low fat and sodium content, moreover it is rich in minerals and polyunsaturated fatty acids. Having these advantageous qualities, ostrich meat should be part of our healthy diet. Skin production is not important in our country, but there is a special demand for high quality ostrich leather globally. In the future our aim is to conduct a research on some of the parameters. As low production rate and embryo mortality is a great deal of problem in ostrich industry, we need to investigate the incubation environment. There is an apparent disagreement among researchers on optimal slaughter age. This is also an area for further investigation. The value of skin and effecting factors on our climate as well as adaptability of the species are also worth for further investigation together with the nutrition what differs from other ostrich breeding countries. Nowadays, there is a great emphasis placed on animal welfare too.

The first documented outbreaks of Newcastle disease virus (NDV) in ostriches were reported in zoo birds in the 1950s. Newcastle disease (ND) causes economic losses in the form of morbidity and mort...

Pseudosuchians, archosaurian reptiles more closely related to crocodylians than to birds, exhibited high morphological diversity during the Triassic with numerous examples of morphological convergence described between Triassic pseudosuchians and post-Triassic dinosaurs. One example is the shuvosaurid Effigia okeeffeae which exhibits an "ostrich-like" bauplan comprising a gracile skeleton with edentulous jaws and large orbits, similar to ornithomimid dinosaurs and extant palaeognaths. This bauplan is regarded as an adaptation for herbivory, but this hypothesis assumes morphological convergence confers functional convergence, and has received little explicit testing. Here, we restore the skull morphology of Effigia, perform myological reconstructions, and apply finite element analysis to quantitatively investigate skull function. We also perform finite element analysis on the crania of the ornithomimid dinosaur Ornithomimus edmontonicus, the extant palaeognath Struthio camelus and the extant pseudosuchian Alligator mississippiensis to assess the degree of functional convergence with a taxon that exhibit "ostrich-like" bauplans and its closest extant relatives. We find that Effigia possesses a mosaic of mechanically strong and weak features, including a weak mandible that likely restricted feeding to the anterior portion of the jaws. We find limited functional convergence with Ornithomimus and Struthio and limited evidence of phylogenetic constraints with extant pseudosuchians. We infer that Effigia was a specialist herbivore that likely fed on softer plant material, a niche unique among the study taxa and potentially among contemporaneous Triassic herbivores. This study increases the known functional diversity of pseudosuchians and highlights that superficial morphological similarity between unrelated taxa does not always imply functional and ecological convergence.

Present study was planned to determine variations in external and internal quality egg parameters of different avian species including ostrich Struthio camelus, ducks Anas platyrhynchos, chicken Gallus gallus, turkeys Meleagris gallopavo and grey francolin Francolinus pondicerinus. All the birds were kept under similar rearing conditions. A total of 150 eggs were collected for each species to record external features of these eggs. Statistically significant (p

A one-year old female ostrich (Struthio camelus) was presented for surgical excision with the history of growth near left hock joint (ankle) and progressively increasing in size. The tumorous mass was surgically excised after sedation and local infiltrative anesthesia. Histopathological examination of the mass revealed a large number of fibrocytes and fibroblasts arranged in an irregular manner accompanied with high degree of neovascularisation. Few areas also showed infiltration of inflammatory cells, degenerative fibroblast cells, high mitotic figures and extensive local invasion to surrounding soft tissues. These features were indicative of clear malignancy and condition was diagnosed as a case of fibrosarcoma.

In this study, the ultrastructural development of germ cells in the ostrich embryo was analysed. The nuclear organisation and morphological characteristics of cytoplasm in the developing germ cells, on embryonic days 20, 26, and 36 and the day of hatching (5 samples from each stage) was analysed using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Germ cells located in the cortex of left ovaries were identified by their large size and centrally located nucleus, with a conspicuous nucleolus. In these cells, the cytoplasm contained an abundance of mitochondria and free ribosomes. The structure of Balbiani body, a villous-like elevation in wide intercellular space and desmosome junction between two adjacent germ cells was also studied. The germ cells during embryonic development showed structural differences in both the nucleus and cytoplasm.

Introduction: Egg quality and its components are important indices to consumers, and the economic success of producers depend on the total number of eggs sold. Egg quality is based on the characteristics of the eggs that affect its acceptability, and the egg components are of nutritional importance. Therefore, the study was carried out to determine the chemical and mineral compositions of ostrich eggs found in southern guinea savannah environ of Nigeria. Methods: Eighty freshly laid eggs were obtained from Ostrich birds in Old Oyo National Park and were used for the experiments. Data were obtained for chemical composition on moisture, carbohydrate, protein, lipid, cholesterol and ash components separately for both albumen and yolk of the eggs while mineral composition observed were Potassium, Calcium, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Iron, copper, Zinc and Manganese. Results: The findings on chemical composition revealed that the protein (17.35), moisture (85.59) and ash contents (1.90) were significantly (p

The development of gut microbiota during ontogeny is emerging as an important process influencing physiology, immunity and fitness in vertebrates. However, knowledge of how bacteria colonize the juvenile gut, how this is influenced by changes in the diversity of gut bacteria and to what extent this influences host fitness, particularly in nonmodel organisms, is lacking. Here we used 16S rRNA gene sequencing to describe the successional development of the faecal microbiome in ostriches (Struthio camelus, n = 66, repeatedly sampled) over the first 3 months of life and its relationship to growth. We found a gradual increase in microbial diversity with age that involved multiple colonization and extinction events and a major taxonomic shift in bacteria that coincided with the cessation of yolk absorption. Comparisons with the microbiota of adults (n = 5) revealed that the chicks became more similar in their microbial diversity and composition to adults as they aged. There was a five-fold difference in juvenile growth during development, and growth during the first week of age was strongly positively correlated with the abundance of the genus Bacteroides and negatively correlated with Akkermansia. After the first week, the abundances of six phylogenetically diverse families (Peptococcaceae, S24-7, Verrucomicrobiae, Anaeroplasmataceae, Streptococcaceae, Methanobacteriaceae) were associated with subsequent reductions in chick growth in an age-specific and transient manner. These results have broad implications for our understanding of the development of gut microbiota and its associations with animal growth.

This study was conducted to evaluate captive growerostrich behavioral patterns. The fifteen grower red-necked (Struthiocameluscamelus) flock (2-month age) were stocked at Rajaa Agriculture Scheme 75km. South of Khartoum, White Nile Govern ate and accommodated in pen of dimension’s 9.5x5.5x3.5m with a concrete floor. Feeding plane was at 16.34% crude protein and 10.11 MJ ME/ Kg. Behavior was observed during three consecutive days on grower chicks over three daylight periods, 6:00 -10:00 a.m., 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. and 2:00 – 6: 00p.m. Walking, sitting, standing, feeding, drinking, pecking, coprophagy, urination and defecation for three consecutive days was observed. The mean daylight time budget of different behavioral attributes of grower ostrich chicks show that 70% of activity was devoted to feeding, drinking, coprophagy and defecation. Resting was less (20% of time). Defecation is less (11.67± 0.1.36 %) in the morning and coprophagy is high (07.36 ±02.27%) in the evening the day.

Toxoplasmosis is a globally spread disease, affecting humans and many animal species, including birds. Antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii were detected in ostriches from South and North America, Africa and Asia. Except for one study from Spain, there is a lack of information about T. gondii seroprevalence in ostriches from Europe. For this reason, the aim of the study was to detect antibodies to T. gondii in farm-reared ostriches from the Czech Republic. Serum samples of 409 ostriches (Struthio camelus), collected at 9 farms were tested by Latex agglutination test. Antibodies to T. gondii were detected in 149 (36%) birds with a statistical difference for individual farms (8%–71%, p = 0.0121), and regions (8%–65%, p = 0.002). Seropositivity did not statistically differ (p > 0.05) in size of farms (50% and 35% on small and large farms, respectively), sex of birds (38% and 35% in males and females, respectively), season and year of collection. Tissue samples (brain, heart, and pectoral muscle) of 105 birds were also tested by PCR to detect T. gondii DNA. The parasite T. gondii was detected in the brain and heart of one seronegative ostrich (1%) from a small farm. Based on our results, we can assume that ostriches may present high risk of toxoplasmosis for humans through consumption of raw or undercooked ostrich meat and even seronegative individuals could harbor T. gondii in their tissues. To our knowledge, this is the first serological detection of T. gondii in ostriches in the Czech Republic, and the first PCR detection in Europe.

A large incomplete ostrich femur from the Lower Pleistocene of North China, kept at the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle (Paris), is described. It was found by Father Emile Licent in 1925 in the Nihewan Formation (dated at about 1.8 Ma) of Hebei Province. On the basis of the minimum circumference of the shaft, a mass of 300 kg, twice that of a modern ostrich, was obtained. The bone is remarkably robust, more so than the femur of the more recent, Late Pleistocene, Struthio anderssoni from China, and resembles in that regard Pachystruthio Kretzoi, 1954, a genus known from the Lower Pleistocene of Hungary, Georgia and the Crimea, to which the Nihewan specimen is referred, as Pachystruthio indet. This find testifies to the wide geographical distribution of very massive ostriches in the Early Pleistocene of Eurasia. The giant ostrich from Nihewan was contemporaneous with the early hominins who inhabited that region in the Early Pleistocene.

Birds and crocodiles show radically different patterns of brain development, and it is of interest to compare these to determine the pattern of brain growth expected in dinosaurs. Here we provide atlases of 3D brain (endocast) reconstructions for Alligator mississippiensis (alligator) and Struthio camelus (ostrich) through ontogeny, prepared as digital restorations from CT scans of stained head and dry skull specimens. Our morphometric analysis confirms that ostrich brains do not change significantly in shape during postnatal growth, whereas alligator brains unfold from a cramped bird-like shape in the hatchling to an elongate, straight structure in the adult. We confirm that birds exhibit paedomorphic dinosaur endocranial traits such as retaining an enlarged and compact brain shape in the adult, whereas crocodiles show peramorphic traits where the brain elongates with growth as the skull elongates. These atlases of ontogenetic stages of modern bird and crocodilian endocrania provide a basis for comparison of non-avian dinosaur endocasts and consideration of the divergence of the "avian" and "crocodilian" modes of brain development and heterochronic change on phylogenies.

The avian lung is highly specialized and is both functionally and morphologically distinct 30 from that of their closest extant relatives, the crocodilians. It is highly partitioned, with a 31 unidirectionally ventilated and immobilized gas-exchanging lung, and functionally decoupled, 32 compliant, poorly vascularized ventilatory air-sacs. To understand the evolutionary history of 33 the archosaurian respiratory system, it is essential to determine which anatomical 34 characteristics are shared between birds and crocodilians and the role these shared traits play 35 in their respective respiratory biology. To begin to address this larger question, we examined 36 the anatomy of the lung and bronchial tree of ten American alligators (Alligator 37 mississippiensis) and eleven ostriches (Struthio camelus) across an ontogenetic series using 38 traditional and micro-computed tomography (µCT), three-dimensional (3D) digital models, and 39 morphometry. Intraspecific variation and left to right asymmetry were present in certain 40 aspects of the bronchial tree of both taxa but was particularly evident in the cardiac (medial) 41 region of the lungs of alligators and the caudal aspect of the bronchial tree in both species. The 42 cross-sectional area of the primary bronchus at the level of the major secondary airways and 43 cross-sectional area of ostia scaled either isometrically or negatively allometrically in alligators 44 and isometrically or positively allometrically in ostriches with respect to body mass. Of fifteen 45 lung metrics, five were significantly different between the alligator and ostrich, suggesting that 46 these aspects of the lung are more interspecifically plastic in archosaurs. One metric, the 47 distances between the carina and each of the major secondary airways, had minimal 48 intraspecific or ontogenetic variation in both alligators and ostriches, and thus may be a 49 conserved trait in both taxa. In contrast to previous descriptions, the 3D digital models and CT 50 scan data demonstrate that the pulmonary diverticula pneumatize the axial skeleton of the 51 ostrich directly from the gas-exchanging pulmonary tissues instead of the air sacs. Global and 52 specific comparisons between the bronchial topography of the alligator and ostrich reveal 53 multiple possible homologies, suggesting that certain structural aspects of the bronchial tree 54 are likely conserved across Archosauria, and may have been present in the ancestral 55 archosaurian lung.

The analysis of curves of the dependence of thermal destruction rate vs. temperature at heating (thermogram) of whole samples and fragments of ostrich (Struthio camelus) eggshell was carried out. It was shown that the complex character of the thermograms is mainly due to the difference in the rate of destruction of individual morphological components of the eggshell. The comparative contribution of each micro-nanostructural morphological components of the eggshell (mamillary, palisade, and crystalline layers) in the integral yield of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) as a product of eggshell thermal destruction at specific temperatures was shown. The activation energies (E a ) for individual shell components were calculated. The theoretical foundations for the development of the method for the analysis of nano- and microstructural components of eggshells have been developed. It is proposed to use the temperature-programmable mass spectrometry (TPD-MS) method to assess the quality of food and hatching eggs in industrial poultry farming.

It has been reported that adult ostriches displayed the longest episodes of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep (up to 5 min) and more REM sleep (24% of the nighttime) than any other bird species. If the mammalian ontogenetic trend exists in the ostrich, then the amounts of REM and the duration of sleep episodes in young ostriches may be greater than those reported in adults. We investigated sleep in 1.5–3.5 month old ostrich chicks. Recordings were conducted during nighttime (20:00–08:00), the main sleep period in ostriches, which are diurnal. The polygrams were scored in 4-s epochs for waking, non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep and REM sleep, as in other bird studies. REM sleep in ostrich chicks occurred during both cortical EEG activation and during slow waves, as was described in adult ostriches. The chicks spent 69.3% ± 1.5% of the night in NREM sleep. REM sleep occupied 14.1% ± 1.8% of the night or 16.8% ± 2.0% of nighttime sleep. Episodes of REM sleep lasted on average 10 ± 1 s and ranged between 4 and 40 s. Therefore, the total amount and duration of REM sleep episodes in ostrich chicks were substantially smaller than reported in adult ostriches while the amounts of NREM sleep did not greatly differ. The developmental profile of REM sleep ontogenesis in the ostrich may be remarkably different from what has been reported in all studied mammals and birds.

Accurate diet formulations are required to fulfil the nutrient requirements of birds in order to achieve optimal production. Knowing how the skin, nodule and feather production characteristics vary with diets of different nutrient densities will help in least-cost modelling. Feather growth and nodule development are factors that were previously neglected in ostrich diet formulation, both of which are essential for the development of a predictive production model. In this trial, 120 birds were placed in 15 pens. Varying energy regimes (high, medium and low) and accompanying protein and amino acid profile levels (level 1–5) were assigned ad libitum to each pen. A randomly selected bird from each pen was slaughtered at 1, 35, 63, 103, 159, 168 and 244 days of age. During the slaughter, each bird was weighed, stunned, exsanguinated, defeathered and eviscerated. Feathers from four regions of the skin were plucked and weighed. The shaft diameter of the wing feathers was measured. The nodule size of the tanned skin was measured for each slaughter age. The data were transformed to natural logarithms and regressed against the total feather weight and the total featherless empty body protein weight to set up allometric growth equations. A prediction equation to determine nodule size of the live bird was proposed. Feed cost optimisation is paramount, and results from this study will aid in setting up least-cost optimisation (simulation) formulation models.

Diclofenac has been responsible for the deaths of millions of vultures on the Asian subcontinent. While the pathology of toxicity is well described, the mechanism of toxicity remains elusive. However, it was postulated that toxicity could be related to the unique avian renal vascular structure known as the renal portal valve and that that diclofenac altered valve functionality with subsequent renal ischaemia. While plausible, the valva renalis portalis has only been described in a small number of other bird species such as the chicken (Gallus domesticus), the domestic duck (Anas platyrhynchos domesticus) and ostrich (Struthio camelus) but not a raptor. The aim of this study was to evaluate the renal anatomy and related vasculature of the Cape griffon vulture (Gyps coprotheres) (CGV), a species sensitive to the toxic effects of diclofenac, using gross anatomy, histology and vascular casting. The vasculature of the vulture was found to be almost identical to that of the domestic chicken with the valva renalis portalis present in the v. iliaca externa between the v. renalis renalis cranialis and the v. renalis caudalus. The valve was ring-shaped with finger-like processes and histologically was composed of smooth muscle. The valve was also well vascularized and was associated with a nerve plexus. Based on the findings of this study, the proposed mechanism of toxicity is anatomically possible.

The ostrich (Struthio camelus, Linnaeus 1758) is the largest bird in the world. It is of great economic importance in Africa and is found across several countries. With developments in breeding systems, morphological studies that facilitate the application of the knowledge are necessary, considering the species has unique anatomical features. The objective of the present study was to describe the major tributaries of the hepatic vein in the species. Ten viscera of adult individuals of both sexes, which were injected with Neoprene latex through the hepatic vein, were used to visualize their tributaries. After the vascular repletion, the tissues were fixed and conserved in 10% formaldehyde aqueous solution. The hepatic carrier system was dissected and photo-documented. The left hepatic vein receives blood from the proventricle and gastric ventricle, while the right hepatic vein is responsible for the drainage of blood into the following organs: spleen, through the proventriculosplenic vein; pancreas, through the pancreaticoduodenal vein; jejunum, through the jejunum trunk; and the colon, which forms the cranial mesenteric vein. Resumo O avestruz (Struthio camelus, Linnaeus 1758) é a maior ave do mundo, com uma importância comercial acentuada na África e expandindo-se para diversos países. Assim, com o desenvolvimento dos sistemas de criação, tornam-se necessários estudos morfológicos que subsidiem as áreas aplicadas, pois a espécie apresenta características anatômicas próprias. O objetivo deste estudo foi a descrição dos principais afluentes da veia porta-hepática nesta espécie. Para a realização do presente trabalho, foram utilizadas dez vísceras de animais adultos, de ambos os sexos, que foram injetados com Neoprene látex por meio da veia porta-hepática para evidenciar os seus afluentes. Após a repleção vascular, os animais foram fixados e conservados em solução aquosa de formaldeído a 10%. O sistema porta-hepático foi dissecado e fotodocumentado. Observou-se que a veia porta-hepática esquerda recebe sangue da região do proventrículo e ventrículo gástrico. A veia porta-hepática direita é a responsável pela drenagem do sangue nos seguintes órgãos: baço, por meio da veia proventriculoesplênica, pâncreas, pela veia pancreaticoduonais, jejuno, por meio do tronco jejunal, e o cólon, que forma a veia mesentérica cranial.

Lawsonia intracellularis is the causative agent of proliferative enteropathy (PE) in pigs, a disease of economic importance worldwide. The present study aimed to investigate the occurrence of L. intracellularis in ostriches using a sensitive and specific nested polymerase chain reaction (nested PCR). A total number of 112 fecal samples (64 healthy, 48 diarrheic) were collected from 11 ostrich farms located in four provinces in Iran (Semnan, Tehran, Gilan, Yazd). The results showed the presence of L. intracellularis in three diarrheic and four apparently healthy birds. The frequency of positive results was the same in both groups (6.25% healthy vs. 6.25% diarrheic). Although the results of this study did not reveal any relationship between this organism and diarrhea (P > 0.05), the molecular detection of L. intracellularis on a farm where birds were suffering from the typical clinical symptoms of PE highlights the need for evaluation of PE in ratites.

In memory of Ingemar Gustavsson 23rd International Colloquium on Animal Cytogenetics and Genomics (23 ICACG) took place in June 9–12, 2018 in Saint-Petersburg, Russia. Organized biennially, the Colloquium runs from 1970. From its very start this meeting is associated with the name of Ingemar Gustavsson to whom we dedicated the Colloquium 2018. The long and productive career of Ingemar Gustavsson had focused on chromosomes and their fundamental role in animal physiology, fertility, health and production in the context of agriculture and veterinary medicine. His meticulous analysis of breeding data performed back in 1964–69 resulted in the unequivocal identification of an association between heterozygosity for the 1/29 translocation in Swedish cattle and reduction in the fertility of the breed. Eventually, the argument in favor of selective elimination of bulls carrying the translocation from the breeding programs prevailed and the field of modern veterinary cytogenetics was established. Participants from fourteen different countries attended the 23 ICACG in Russia, the country having long lasting traditions in cytogenetics and the Scientific schools of N.K. Koltzov, S.S. Chetverikov and A.S. Serebrovsky, geneticists who made important conceptual contributions to studies of chromosomes and genes, population genetics and evolutionary theory as early as in the beginning of the XX-th century. All the abstracts received were subdivided between plenary and seven scientific sessions covering the issues in evolutionary and comparative cytogenetics, cytogenetics and genomes of domestic animals, meiosis studies, particular chromosome analyses, clinical cytogenetics, karyotypes and genomes of vertebrate and invertebrate animals, chromatin studies. In the abstract text below each presentation is marked with a capital letter: „L” stands for lectures, „O” for oral presentations and „P” for poster presentations. We gratefully acknowledge the support from the Saint-Petersburg Association of Scientists and Scholars (SPbSU), Veterinary Genetics Center ZOOGEN, Russian Foundation for Basic Research (RFBR), VEUK, Helicon, Axioma BIO, BioVitrum, Sartorius, DIA-M companies. The current collected abstracts comprise written contributions of the presentations during the 23 ICACG and were edited by Svetlana Galkina and Maria Vishnevskaya. The next Colloquium – 24 ICACG – will be held at the University of Kent in Canterbury (UK) in 2020. Please, cite abstracts as follows: Gall JG (2018) Giant chromosomes and deep sequences: what the amphibian egg tells us about transcription. In: Galkina SA, Vishnevskaya MS, Mikhailova EI (Eds) 23rd Inernational Colloquium on Animal Cytogenetics and Genomics (23rdICACG), June 9–12, 2018, St Petersburg, Russia. Comparative Cytogenetics 12(3): p–p. https://doi.org/10.3897/CompCytogen.v12i3.27748

This study included preparation of ostrich meat burger with different levels of ostrich fat. The first treatment was free-fat and the second treatment 5% fat, the third treatment was 10% fat, the fourth and the fifth was 15% and 20% respectively and stored in 18 ± 2 co for 120 days. Changes in chemical indicators were studied including peroxide value (PV), thiobarbituric acid (TBA), free fatty acids (FFA) and total volatile nitrogen (TVN) during storage periods 1, 30, 60, 90 and 120 days. The results showed that there is significantly increased (P

The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of period of the day on the behavior of adultbreeding ostriches (Struthio camelus) in a farming environment. A twenty –one mature Africanblack neck breed ostriches (7 males and14 females) were used .The birds were divided into 7groups(1male:2 females)per group. The observations were carried out at three different periods;morning (8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m), at noon (11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m) and at afternoon (4:00 p.m. to5:00 p.m). Feeding, drinking, walking, running, thermoregulation, body care and aggressive behaviors wererecorded following through number of individuals observed to be in the act of pattern at 30secondsinterval during the observation session (5 minutes). The order of observation was randomized foreach group .By this system of rotation with in the periods of days we have a sheet of three dailyperiods as reprehensive to the week. When the periods noon/afternoon were compared, there wassignificant differences in walking, running, drinking water, eating ration, litophagia, dancing, sandbathing. It was observed that the behavior of ostriches differ according to day period.

1. Sex-related differences of long pelvic limb bones and serum bone metabolism indices were evaluated in 14-month-old female (N = 7) and male (N = 7) ostriches of similar body weights. 2. Densitometric parameters of femur, tibia and tarsometatarsus were determined using quantitative computed tomography (volumetric bone mineral density, calcium hydroxyapatite density and mean volumetric bone mineral density) and dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (bone mineral density and bone mineral content) methods. Geometrical parameters such as cortical bone area, cross-sectional area, second moment of inertia, mean relative wall thickness and cortical index were determined in the midshaft of bones. Mechanical properties of bones (maximum elastic strength and ultimate strength) were evaluated using three-point bending test. Serum concentrations of free amino acids, osteocalcin, N-terminal propeptide of type I procollagen, C-terminal telopeptides of type II collagen and total antioxidative capacity were also determined. 3. Bone weight and relative bone weight of all bones were significantly higher in males than in females. Significantly lower values of trabecular bone mineral density and calcium hydroxyapatite density were found in the trabecular bone of tibia in males. The highest number of the sex-related differences was observed in the tarsometatarsus where bone length, bone mineral content, cortical bone area, cross-sectional area and ultimate strength were higher in males. Serum concentrations of taurine, hydroxyproline, valine and isoleucine were significantly higher in males. 4. Higher loading of the tarsometatarsus in comparison to femur and tibia may be an important factor interacting with sex hormones in regulation of bone formation and mineralisation processes. Sex-related differences of bone properties were associated with increased serum concentration of selected amino acids in males.

Mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) is a small and extra-chromosomal DNA, located in cytoplasm and presents an ideal model to study evolution and genetic similarity due to genomic rearrangement. In the present study, mitochondrial DNA sequences of 14 farm animal species including, Bos indicus, Bos taurus, Ovis aries, Capra hircus, Equus caballus, Camelus bactrianus, Camelus dromedaries, Sus scrofa domesticus, Gallus gallus, Meleagris gallopavo, Struthio camelus, Anser anser, Anas platyrhynchos and Oncorhynchus mykiss were retrieved from NCBI databases and compared with the sequence of Homo sapiens. Sequence distance analysis showed a high similarity (74.4%) between Homo sapiens and Equus caballus, while the Oncorhynchus mykiss had the lowest similarity (64.1%) to the Homo sapiens. The highest similarities among the studied species were observed between Anser anser and Anas platyrhynchos (100%) and Bos taurus and Bos indicus (98.5%). In phylogenetic analysis, the Homo sapiens fell in a same cluster with Equus caballus, Bos indicus, Bos taurus, Ovis aries, Capra hircus, Camelus bactrianus, Camelus dromedaries and Sus scrofa domesticus. Poultry species (Gallus gallus, Meleagris gallopavo and Struthio camelus, Anser anser and Anas platyrhynchos) and rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) formed a distinct cluster with the lowest similarity to the human. The D-loop regions showed the most obvious differences, while other parts including tRNA, rRNA, STSs and CDSs for different genes, had more similarities. Based on the results of the present study, the mitogenomic sequences could be used for accurate phylogenetic analysis and clustering of different species. Moreover, use of mitogenomic sequence in mammalian farm animals, as biomedical model species would not be far-fetched for genetic control of zoonotic diseases.

The functional anatomies of avian finger joints have never been compared with those of the basal avian Archaeopteryx lithographica or maniraptoran theropod dinosaurs. These startling oversights are due to unfamiliarity of the joints outside of highly specialised studies of bird-wing biomechanics. Here fleshed to skeletonised repeated-measures analyses of finger-joint ranges of motion (ROMs) in a basal palaeognath, the Ostrich Struthio camelus, were utilised as a model to begin filling in these knowledge gaps. Results verified that all of the flight-adapted, avian-specific finger joints are retained in the flightless, yet large and well-differentiated fingers of the Ostrich. Moreover, Ostrich finger joints still possess flight-restricted ROMs within the semi-pronated plane of the manus. The osteological markers of these highly conserved flight-adapted characters in Ostrich show that prior descriptions have unknowingly demonstrated that the main avian finger-joint complex began evolving at the base of Penna...

Archaeological eggshell is a commonly recorded, yet underutilized material for understanding human-environment interaction in the past. In addition to the use of archaeological eggshell as a paleoenvironmental proxy, archaeologists have innovated important new approaches to the study of archaeological avian eggshell, including the application of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) for the characterization of eggshell microstructures. These studies have demonstrated the importance of eggshell for understanding how ancient communities exploited and interacted with avifauna. In this paper, we build on these methodological advances by testing new approaches to image avian eggshell and characterizing complex eggshell surface microstructures. We demonstrate the utility of capturing high-resolution 3-dimensional (3D) eggshell surfaces using advanced imaging modalities (optical profilometry, scanning electron microscopy, digital microscopy, computed tomography), to model changes in eggshell microstructures that are correlated with ontogeny. Using the Common Ostrich (Struthio camelus) as our model system, we introduce a statistical modeling approach to predict the ontogenetic age of ratite eggshell using roughness measurements of 3D features. Successful prediction of ontogenetic age has great potential to reveal archaeological patterns of human exploitation of avian eggs. These findings further illustrate the importance of archaeological eggshell for investigating human-environment interactions, emphasizing the need for archaeologists to use field methods (hand/trowel excavation and fine mesh screen) that facilitate eggshell recovery.