Roman mosaic showing ostriches being loaded onto ship
Pliny the Elder described in his “Natural History” that ostriches would bury their heads in a bush to hide from danger. This belief has persisted to this day as a popular myth, despite the lack of evidence for this behaviour in these birds. In reality, ostriches would place their heads low to the ground to hide, which may have given the impression that they were “burying it in the sand.”
This is a perfect example of how ancient observations of nature — while often fascinating — were not always accurate, but had a huge influence on later ideas about the natural world.
Sources
- Pliny the Elder, Natural History, X.1
