The male emu is responsible for incubating the eggs and can sit almost continuously
for an eight week period.
Emu
Origin: Australia and Tasmania
Latin Name: Dromaius novaehollandiae
Habitat: Forest or Savannah woodland
Diet: Crickets, beetles, grasshoppers as well as plants and grasses
Lifespan: Up to 40 years
Average Size: Weight: 45kg, Height: 160cm, Length: 140cm
Characteristics:
The emu is the second-largest living bird by height, after its relative the ostrich. They are flightless birds but can travel great dis-tances and can sprint at 50kmph. Emus have a grey-brown plumage of shaggy ap-pearance, the shafts and tips of the feather being a dull black colour. Their neck is a pale blue and shows through its sparse feathers. Emus predominately travel in pairs, and while they can form large flocks, this is an atypical social behaviour that arises from the common need to move to-wards a new food source.
