0
Emus
Large, flightless birds of Australia: their appearance, habitat, facts, and myths.
415 Questions
Emus walk and run on two legs. As an emu walks forward, its long neck has a slight tendency to bob a bit, and its head moves accordingly as it curiously checks out anything of interest to it.
Emus possess the unique ability to make sudden sharp turns. When running at top speed, the physiological structure of their feet enables them to make sudden 180-degree turns which not even a smaller, lithe creature can do.
What kind of nests do emus make?
The male emu builds the nest before attracting a female. It scratches up grass, twigs, leaves and bark on the ground, in grasslands or open bushland. The nest measures between one and two metres wide, and the walls are about ten centimetres thick.
Emus are not extinct, nor even endangered. They are the second largest birds in the world, after the ostrich, and exist in abundant numbers on the Australian mainland.
The Emu is extinct on the island of Tasmania but is common in all other states and mainland territories of Australia. There also used to be two dwarf emu species, existing on Kangaroo island (off South Australia) and King island (Bass Strait). The dwarf emus and the Tasmanian emus were driven to extinction by the arrival of European settlers.
There are 7 families of flightless birds in total. They include the Kiwi, Cassowaries, Rheas, Ostriches, Tinamous, Emus and Penguins.
There are also numerous flightless birds within other groups of birds which are mostly made up of species which can fly. Rails, for example, include waterfowl such as moorhens, swamp hens and other small to medium birds which can fly but prefer not to. They cannot fly for any great distance, and within the rail family, there are numerous flightless birds, such as the Takahē and the weka of New Zealand, and the Inaccessible Island rail.
Other bird families have some members which cannot fly, even though most of the family can. The kakapo, which lives in New Zealand, is the world's only flightless parrot. The flightless steamer duck of the Falkland Islands is another bird which is an anomaly with its family. The Giant Coot of South America is unusual, as the adult cannot fly, but the young birds can.
There are many more species of flightless birds. See the related link for a more complete list.
Extinct birds which could not fly include the Moa, dodo, elephant bird and Terror bird.
flightless birds have evolved from birds that could fly.many flightless birds have evolved on islands that did not had predators.due to this reason they stopped flying.their chest muscles became weak.they could easily move on the land with safety and their need to escape was minimal.so they stopped flying.examples of such kinds of birds are emu,ostrich,penguin,dodo[extinct],kiwi,moa,rhea,cassoway and so on.but besides flying these birds have some special qualities of their owni.e.penguins can swim,ostrich are the fastest running birds on the earth and too have developed big toe-claws.
Although emus are large birds, they do have a number of predators and enemies. Their greatest defence is their size and speed. Man remains one of the biggest threats, together with his introduced wild dogs, including domestic dogs gone feral. These are the only creatures in Australia that can threaten an adult emu.
However, young emus are subject to predation by dingoes, feral cats, foxes, goannas and eagles, while lizards eat emu eggs.
What kind of beak do emus have?
Emus have long, sharp beaks, dark brown to grey in colour. For a close-up view of an emu's beak, see the related link below.
Most stool does! Acording to my research on your topic Emu stool is very smelly, taking you by suprise whenever you smell it. There is a very large difference in smell of Emu stool from other animals.
How high is a emu ( in feet )?
Emus grow to between 1.6 metres and 2 metres high, on average. They weigh between 30 and 45 kilograms, with the female usually slightly heavier than the male.
No, the emu is a flightless bird. It possesses feathers and rudimentary wings, though it cannot fly. It also lays eggs, which mammals (apart from monotremes) do not. It does not suckle its young as mammals do.
The traits emus (and other birds) share with mammals is that they are vertebrates, warmblooded and breathe through lungs.
Man remains one of the biggest enemies of the emu (mainly through activities such as land clearing), together with his introduced wild dogs, mostly domestic dogs gone feral. These are the only creatures in Australia that can threaten an adult emu.
However, young emus are subject to predation by dingoes, feral cats, foxes, goannas and eagles, while lizards eat emu eggs.
What is an interesting feature of the emu?
There are many interesting features which the emu has. * Emus have three toes, unlike the ostrich, which has only two. Having three toes equips the emu more efficiently for running. * Emus have a unique defence capability: when running at top speed, the structure of their feet enables them to make sudden 180-degree turns which not even a small cat can do: by the time larger creatures in pursuit slow enough to make the turn, the emu is 50-60 metres ahead in the opposite direction. * Emus have strong endurance, being able to run at a steady, loping pace for a long time. * When food is plentiful, emus can store extra fat, which they may then rely on as they move on to a new food source. * Emus are nomadic, moving between food sources. They are therefore not restricted to living in just one area, dying out when drought creates severe food shortage. * The nature and structure of emu feathers provides insulation for them during the heat of the day. * Emus are effective swimmers. This is important in a land where floods can occur swiftly and withour warning. * Emus have an inflatable neck sac, which enables them to make a loud drumming, or booming sound. These calls can be heard from a couple of kilometres away, allowing emus communication between each other over long distances.
What is the difference between an emu and an ostrich?
- Emus are native to Australia, whilst ostriches are found in Africa.
- Emus have darker colouring, with dark brown, grey and black fine feathers. Ostriches have thicker and lighter plumage.
- An ostrich is bigger than an emu. An emu weighs between 66 and 99 pounds (30-45kg). An ostrich weighs about 300 pounds.
- The ostrich is faster and is, in fact, the world's fastest two-legged animal. An ostrich can sprint at 65 Kilometres per hour (40 miles per hour) and an emu can sprint at 50 kph, or 30 mph.
- Ostriches are unusual among the ratites (flightless birds) as they have only two toes on each foot. Emus and other ratites have three toes.
How does an emu adapt to its environment?
Emus occur in all Australian states except Tasmania. They can be found almost anywhere in the country except within urban areas, although they can be found on the outskirts of these areas.
Emus range from coastal areas, where they are becoming increasingly rarer due to developments and roads, to the sub-Alpine regions. therefore, they can take a range of temperatures from cool-temperate to hot-temperate.
They are most common in New South Wales, in open scrubland and grasslands. They are also found in areas where agriculture has overtaken the natural habitat, particularly if there is a ready water source.
They 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 notfound in rainforest regions or closed forest. Unlike many of Australia's native creatures, the emu does need a ready supply of water, so emus are not found in the desert.
Emus are related to a group of birds called ratites. Other ratites include the Southern cassowary of Australia and New Guinea, the kiwi from New Zealand, the ostrich from Africa and the rhea from South America.
It is believed that emus cannot walk backwards, as no evidence exists to the contrary. That is why, together with the kangaroo (which also cannot walk backwards), the emu is on the Australian coat-of-arms, symbolising progression forwards.
Whether or not emus can or cannot walk backwards has never been definitively proven, as the phenomenon of them walking backwards has been neither observed nor recorded. It is believed that the joints in their knees make it impossible for them to walk backwards.
An adult emu weighs between 30 and 45 kilograms (66 - 99 pounds), with the female usually slightly heavier than the male.
The emu is lighter than its closest living relative, the Southern Cassowary.
Actually, sort of. See, emus are birds, and most birds have an organ called a gizzard. The function of the gizzard is the help grind up food. Only the very muscular structure of the gizzard isn't able to do this unassisted, so birds consume gravel and sand to help.
Do you mean wild emus or pet emus? Encyclopedias list seeds and grass and insects among the foods that wild emus eat. My emus love all sorts of grains and fruit. They'll eat walnuts and grapes and apricots and figs.
There is very little that emus do not eat. They eat all fruits, especially fresh fruits, grains, fresh vegetation and even small mammals and reptiles if they look interesting enough for the emu to peck at.
Emus will not eat older, tougher vegetation and grasses.
Emus have a number of predators and enemies, but their size and speed means they are rarely killed. Man remains one of the biggest threats, together with his introduced wild dogs, mostly domestic dogs gone feral. These are the only creatures in Australia that can threaten an adult emu.
However, young emus are subject to predation by dingoes, feral cats, foxes, goannas and eagles, while lizards eat emu eggs.
Is an emu the biggest native bird in Australia?
Ostrich eggs are bigger than emu eggs. Ostrich eggs are about the size of a cantaloupe or rockmelon, whereas an emu egg can be compared more to the size of a grapefruit. An average emu egg equates to about 8 chicken eggs, while an ostrich egg equals between 18 and 24 chicken eggs.
Emus breed during winter. Their breeding cycle begins as the days start to become shorter - around April in Australia, which is the mid-Autumn. Winter is therefore the time that emus lay their eggs. Australian research has proven that emu breeding season is dependent upon the length of the day. The amount of daylight directly influences the production of reproductive hormones.
Emus can run at speeds of up to 50 km per hour. They also have the unusual ability of being able to do a quick 180-degree turn at almost top speed, a feat unmatched by other animals.
How long does a female Emu lay her eggs?
A female emu reaches maturity at around two years old. This is earlier than males, which are only sexually mature at 3-4 years old.
