Kristen Baker, age 10, of Duluth, Minnesota, for her question: 

How fast can an ostrich run?

A large ostrich may stand eight feet tall and tip the scales at 300 pounds. And the giant of the bird world is a mighty powerful animal and very fast on his feet. At top speed his long, strong legs cover the ground in strides from 12 to 15 feet long. He can pace a fast race horse and speed twice as fast as an expert human runner. He can run twice as fast as a bat or a blue jay can fly, faster than an owl or a sea gull or many other flying birds. Wild ducks, eagles and a few other birds on the wing, however, can outdistance him as he runs on the ground.

Many ostriches have been clocked at 40 or 45 miles an hour. Faster records have been made by ostriches racing at 50 miles per hour. On his native land, he can be out distanced by a gazelle running at a mile a minute. The cheetah, fastest animal on four feet, can sprint at 70 miles per hour but he is not a distance runner. The ostrich can keep up his top speed for miles. With no trouble at all, he can outdistance all his native enemies except the sprinting cheetah.