Struthio camelus - The ostrich is the tallest living bird. A mature male averages 2.1 to 2.8 meters in height; mature females range between 1.7 to 2.0 meters. Their sense of smell and eyesight is exceptional. An ostrich has the largest eyes of any land vertebrate. These features provide the ostrich with an early warning system to escape potential predators. They can also achieve and maintain speeds of 50 km/h, giving the ostrich the distinction of being the fastest two-legged animal on earth.
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Mali was once part of three different kingdoms; the Ghana Empire, the Songhai Empire, and the Mali Empire. The Mali Empire was a Mandinka state reigning from 1230 to 1600. Reaching its peak in 1350, the kingdom controlled vast territories of Western Africa. Trade connections became the source of the empire’s prosperity; gold, salt, copper, and slaves were the four leading trade commodities. Internal strife set the empire into a spiral of military defeat, economic decline, and a final collapse in 1600.
