Ostriches vs Emus

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― anthony, Tuesday, 21 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Ostriches definitely: They are the world's biggest bird, they have better feathers, they are not associated with Rod Hull, they have a dinosaur named after them whereas emus don't (requires a spattering of Latin, Struthiomimus = 'ostrich mimic').

― MarkH, Tuesday, 21 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

So this dinosaur was mimicking the ostrich 25000000000000000000000000000000 years before the ostrich walked the earth?
(Latin = handy way for scientists to dress up v.dodgy mutton-nonsense as lamb-genius....)

― mark s, Tuesday, 21 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Well, they made an ostrich beanie baby and not an emu one, so the ostrich is king.

― matthew, Tuesday, 21 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

neither, Cassowaries. They can disembowel a man you know.

― cabbage, Tuesday, 21 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Ostriches. The terminally (and terminal) unfunny Rod Hull never had his arm up an ostriches....

― Billy Dods, Tuesday, 21 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I believe the geographically correct answer is Moa. I'll pop out & catch one now.

― AP, Tuesday, 21 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I have to say emus because today is Contrary Day.

It's also my anniversary. Why am I at work?

― Dan Perry, Tuesday, 21 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

fuck yas all - emus don't bury their head in the sand, they can't walk backwards and they can kill you - emus rock! and it's pronounced ee - myew ok!

― Geoff, Tuesday, 21 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

There was an emu loose in my town just three days ago, and everybody thought it was an ostrich, so it is interesting that you should bring up this topic. I still don't know the difference - emus seem a bit more colorful. And they are likely harder to catch, because there was a big trail of people following aforementioned emu for quite a while, and I think it took a tranquilizer gun to bring it down. Back to the animal sanctuary with you, emu!

― Nick Bramble, Tuesday, 21 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Ostriches are phenomenonally DUMB animules. Nicole, Brian and I were on our way to Terrastock II when we were amused by the sign proclaiming that there was an ostrich farm in the hills north of Santa Barbara en route. So of course we stopped (on our way to Solvang, the Danish town -- don't ask me *why* there's a Danish tourist town in the semi-coastal region of California, just look it up on the web) and saw the farm -- the birds seemed nice enough, but have no BRANE. They would come up to the wire fence and peck it at, discover that they couldn't eat it or break through it, and then after five seconds begin again. I think even the ground squirrels were laughing at them.

― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 21 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I was chased by an emu once.

― Otis Wheeler, Tuesday, 21 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I have never seen "Ostrich" in a NY Times crossword. I have seen "Emu" in one. In fact "emu" is an answer about once a week ("Alleged comedian Phillips." "Man eating flightless bird.") So because W. Shortz is a twit I am inclined to support Ostriches in their campaign for third world debt relief.

― Benjamin, Tuesday, 21 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

there was a great article in New Scientist a while back about extinct flightless birds. South America used to have these carnivorous monsters called Terror Birds, while Australia had a big bird that scientists refer to as Big Bird. The best of all, and I think the biggest bird that has ever lived (although I may be getting mixed up) was The Demon Duck Of Doom, essentially a giant flightless duck that ate anything it came across.

As for Emus and Ostriches, on the basis that most animals in Australia are rubbish versions of animals found elsewhere, you'd have to assume ostriches would kick emu butt.

― The Dirty Vicar, Tuesday, 21 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

some funky scientiscts speculate dynosores eventually bec ame byrds. rough life for the bog boy!

― Mike Hanle y, Tuesday, 21 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

And the kangaroo is a rubbish version of what, exactly, yr reverence?

x0x0

― Norman Fay, Tuesday, 21 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

i am sending in all ten of our top ten poisonous snakes in the world, eight of the spiders, all of our dingos and a squad of kamikaze koalas to kick your butt for that anti-oz comment dude. dingoes got my thread, y'hear!

― Geoff, Tuesday, 21 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I once ate ostrich. Only I didn't know that it was supposed to be prepared medium rare, so I had it prepared well-done and it came out looking like a hockey-puck. Still, it didn't taste half-bad (kinda like a spare rib), though since I had it prepared wrong I guess I really can't properly judge.

― Tadeusz Suchodolski, Tuesday, 21 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I've never eaten ostrich. Here in Oxford there are plenty of opportunities to do so; it's on the menu at the Bear & Ragged Staff in Cumnor and New College cooks have been known to cook ostrich and serve it to the stoodies pretending it's beef (allegedly). I remember an edition of Keith Floyd's cookery programme on BBC2 where he was cooking ostrich meat in the African savannah surrounded by a flock of ostriches who eyed him inquisitively. I thought this was rather cruel; maybve wife number five thought so as well and left him afterwards.....

― MarkH, Wednesday, 22 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Rod Hull used to really amuse me when I was little and I loved the way Emu's beak curled up - what an expressive bird. Whereas ostriches are ugly buggers. So Emus it is.

― Tom, Wednesday, 22 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

The ostrich has one of the most terrifying penises of all animals except the bear.

My parents used to own both, and emus are infinitely more mellow. Plus: two feathers coming from one shaft is a fun emu oddity. Bonus plus: Their stubby non-wings with claws at the end.

― 1 1 2 3 5, Friday, 24 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Damn, Ned, you beat me to the ostrich thread! I actually used to live near Solvang, and they do indeed serve ostrich burgers at just about every restaurant... Now peacocks, there's a bird for you. You can hear those fucking things a mile away. As a kid I used to fall asleep to the sound of micheal jackson's peacocks...*sigh*

― turner, Saturday, 25 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

At Fota Wildlife Park I noticed an Ostrich bullying some Emus. They were in his way so he pecked them with an air of "I'm the largest flightless bird in the world, shag off".

I was standing on the other side of the fence to the Ostrich. He started looking at me, leaned his head over closer to inspect me more intently, then gave himself a shock on the fence. This perturbed him, and he cantered off.

I bet he gives himself shocks like that every day.

Ostriches are funny, simoultanaeously looking like they're really stupid (which they are) but also like they're really really trying their hardest to work out what's going on.

― DV, Thursday, 6 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

11235 ninjasquiz SeZ: "My parents used to own both"

Um, why? Avant-garde farming? Most Terrifying (Live) Penis Collectors?

― mark s, Thursday, 6 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

three weeks pass...

Have either Messrs. Anthony or Hanle y eaten ostrich? Inquiring minds wanna know!

― Tadeusz Suchodolski, Saturday, 29 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

yup

― anthony, Saturday, 29 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

emu tastes good and emu oil is good for arthritis

― Geoff, Saturday, 29 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

six months pass...

I ate th e head of a tiger

― Mike Hanle y, Thursday, 25 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

And the kangaroo is a rubbish version of what, exactly, yr reverence?

an antelope or a gazelle or something like that.

― DV, Sunday, 28 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

nineteen years pass...

Cape of Good Hope today in rough weather: ostriches (Queen Victoria and consort) and passing cormorants and further out invisible prions and shy albatrosses etc. The mind wipe of the sea-watch meant the ostriches appeared as if from a time machine or struthio spaceship. pic.twitter.com/PZb5fXcl0R
— Tim Dee (@TimDee4) May 5, 2021

this really does evoke time travel footage from the late miocene

― calzino, Thursday, 6 May 2021 11:36 (five years ago)

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