Definitions

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun Plural form of ratite.

Etymologies

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Examples

  • Dave and I had a discussion today about flightlessness in ratites: a single evolution of flightlessness at the base of the clade, or multiple separate origins of it within the group?

    Archive 2006-06-01 Darren Naish 2006

  • Dave and I had a discussion today about flightlessness in ratites: a single evolution of flightlessness at the base of the clade, or multiple separate origins of it within the group?

    More on what I saw at the zoo Darren Naish 2006

  • Matthew Phillips of the Australian National University and his team have also dismissed previous theories that asserted all large, flightless birds - or 'ratites' - share a flightless common ancestor.

    COSMOS magazine - The science of everything 2010

  • Another lingering uncertainty is whether the ratites are a genuine kinship group, reflecting common evolutionary origin, or just an unrelated cluster of species that incidentally share bigness and flightlessness.

    The Song of The Dodo David Quammen 2004

  • Another lingering uncertainty is whether the ratites are a genuine kinship group, reflecting common evolutionary origin, or just an unrelated cluster of species that incidentally share bigness and flightlessness.

    The Song of The Dodo David Quammen 2004

  • "Many of the world's largest flightless birds, known as ratites, were thought to have shared a common flightless ancestor.

    PhysOrg.com - latest science and technology news stories 2010

  • "Many of the world's largest flightless birds, known as ratites, were thought to have shared a common flightless ancestor.

    PhysOrg.com - latest science and technology news stories 2010

  • The other large ratites, including ostriches and emus, have been known to kill people, as have certain raptors—usually defending their nests.

    Birdology Sy Montgomery 2010

  • Over the years, the dodo has been grouped with the carnivorous raptors; ratites, which include emus and ostriches; parrots; and shorebirds.

    Extinct Dodo Related to Pigeons 2007

  • Ducks, geese, swans (Anatidae) and ostriches, kiwis and tinamous (Struthioniformes/ratites) all have penises.

    Boing Boing 2007

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