In the world of science, there's a name for everything. As defined on Wikipedia, what is the term for "any of a diverse group of flightless and mostly large and long-legged birds of the infraclass Palaeognathae"?

Next time you see an ostrich at the zoo, you can say "hey look, a ratite!" and really impress your friends. By definition, a ratite has no keel on their sternum, meaning they couldn't have flown even if they had the right wings. The word "ratite" is derived from the Latin word "ratis," or a raft, i.e. a vessel with no keel.

Asked by Tom Cohen · Last updated 5 years ago · 1.5K views