Emus

Like the majority of Australian native mammals, the wombat is a marsupial.

Male and female emus pair up for breeding in the summer months of December and January. The male builds a nest in a shallow depression in the ground, lining it with bark, grass, twigs, and leaves.

During mid Autumn and early winter (April through to June), the female lays up to 8-10 large, thick-shelled dark green eggs, and sometimes the nests contain the eggs of several females. The male incubates the eggs, during which time he does not eat, drink, or pass any waste matter, surviving only on accumulated body fat. The male stays on the nest twenty-four hours a day, standing only every couple of hours to turn the eggs.

It takes between 56-60 days for the eggs to hatch. The chicks, which are distinctly striped and unique in appearance, stay with the father for 5-7 months.

Young emus reach sexual maturity between 2 and 3 years of age. The average lifespan of emus can be 10 to 20 years.

A frog is an amphibian.

Emus are omnivores, and they will eat anything that is remotely edible, including some things which are not. They are very curious birds that will try almost anything, using their large beaks to peck at and pick up food.

Commonly, they eat insects, caterpillars, grubs and other invertebrates; seeds, nuts, flowers, fruits, young leaves and other plant parts; lizards, other small animals and even animal droppings. They do not eat dry grasses or older leaves, even if that's all that is available to them. They are more likely to move on to other food sources.

Emus also swallow quite large stones and charcoal to help them digest their food.

Emus are tall (6'6"), flightless birds which are native to Australia. Emus lay 5-15 very large eggs at one time. Each egg has one emu in it but, when broken for cooking, it is the equivalent of about 1 dozen hen's eggs.

An emu is the second largest bird in the world, the first being the ostrich, which is also native to Australia. Neither of them is found in any other part of the world.

About 56 days.

Given the amazing range of things that a typically curious emu will peck from the ground, bread is probably one of the more healthy options for it. However, emus cannot live by bread alone. There must be variety in their diet, and they need access to small pebbles and stones, which they swallow to help grind up their food and aid the digestive process.

Like all birds, the emu's body covering is feathers,although they are fine and wispy.

big chicken

Emus a birds and so have a beak. The beak has 'nostril openings' just like any other bird.

The emu is not the national animal of Australia. It does, however, appear on the coat-of-arms, supposedly because it has never been observed taking a backwards step.

It is said mallards have three eyelids per eye. I have never directly observed that. I have only seen one that closes from the bottom instead of from the top.

Adult emus do not have any natural predators. Dingoes (not native to Australia) will take on an adult emu, as a pack, but not individually.

Young emus are subject to predation by a number of introduced species such as foxes and dogs, as well as native species such as eagles and even goannas.

Emus do not have any specific shelter. They will avoid the heat if possible by staying under trees. They only ever build nests at breeding time, and these nests are dug out of the ground and lined with sticks, leaves and grass.

Emus are diurnal, not nocturnal, being most active during the day.

These birds, along with the rhea, are all flightless. Although they are classed as birds, they are among the very few birds that can't actually fly at all. They are members of a group of birds called ratites. Ratites have wings but the bones in their chests do not have the capacity for flight muscles, which is what a bird needs to fly.

A mob of emus

emus

The ostrich (from Africa), rhea (South America) and the cassowary (northern Australia and Papua New Guinea) are all flightless birds in the same category of "ratites" as the emu. Ratites have wings but the bones in their chests do not have the capacity for flight muscles, which is what a bird needs to fly.

Both male and female emus have blue on their necks. It is impossible to tell the male and female apart by appearance alone.

Almost: emus are found everywhere on the mainland, but not in Tasmania, whilst kangaroos are found everywhere, although the red kangaroo is not found in Tasmania.

Emus can be found in almost any climate in Australia except desert because, unlike many of Australia's native creatures, it does need a ready supply of water. Emus range from coastal areas to the Alpine regions, but are not found in open, sandy desert areas of Australia's central west, due to lack of shelter and the insufficient food source for such a large bird. They are most common in New South Wales, in open scrubland and grasslands. They are not found in rainforest regions or closed forest. They are also found in areas where agriculture has overtaken the natural habitat, particularly if there is a ready water source.

There is no obvious physical difference between a male and female emu. Even experts are unable to tell them apart. There are no obvious physical difference between male and female emus as their size, shape and colouring is identical.

The main difference is in the sound they make. It is the female that makes a deep "drumming" sound from inside her throat, and this sound can be carried over a long distance, heard up to 2km away. The male makes a guttural grunting sound.