Emu ostrich: where it lives, what it eats, interesting facts

Main characteristics of emu

The growth and weight of the emu are 1.7 m and up to 55 kg, respectively. A small head with a slightly curved beak of a dark shade, round eyes with fluffy eyelashes, a much shorter neck than other "brothers", a dense body with underdeveloped wings (up to 25 cm), very powerful legs, soft and dense feathers that regulate heat exchange - this is a description of the emu's appearance. Moreover, the plumage of males does not differ in color from females, as, for example, in an African relative.

Emus do not live in flocks, and only in search of food can they roam for some time in small groups of up to a dozen individuals. These birds are diurnal and sleep at night for about seven hours with breaks. The Australian ostrich has excellent eyesight and hearing, so they are able to detect danger at very long distances, especially in their native savannah.

At the same time, emu, contrary to the prevailing image, never hide their heads in the sand. They either run away, developing an insane speed of up to 60 km per hour, or take the fight, desperately kicking the enemy with their powerful three-toed paws with hard horny growths on each toe.

But when the birds are safe, they just love to be lazy, taking water and sand baths to get rid of parasites in thick plumage and just playing with each other. Of all the ostriches, only emus can live peacefully in almost any climate. And at minus five degrees and plus fifty, the Australian ostrich feels pretty comfortable.

Plumage

The plumage of the emu is very interesting. It is designed in such a way that the birds do not overheat in the heat, but at the same time do not freeze on a cold windy night. Like ostriches, emus tolerate extreme temperature changes and can feel comfortable in both heat and cold. When keeping these exotic animals in the Russian region, it should be borne in mind that they tolerate frosts well down to -10 ° C. If the temperature mark drops below, the emu needs to create warmer conditions.
Feathers on the bird's neck absorb solar radiation. The neck itself is pale blue, with sparse gray-brown to brown feathers.

But, unlike ostriches, emu have 3 toes on each leg, while those have 2 toes. In many ways, the structure of the legs helps to develop high speeds. These birds have them without feathers, have few bones and well-developed muscles.

Habitat and natural enemies

Emu is common on the Australian continent in grassy savannas, on the outskirts of deserts, on the shores of lakes and clearings. This bird loves space and open space, swims excellently, despite its impressive size, does not like dry terrain and noisy cities.

Another difference between the Australian flightless bird and its African counterpart is that emus need drinking water, therefore they never settle in arid regions.Emus living in Tasmania do not stay in one place - in summer they live and nest in the north of the island, where there are more shrubs and convenient breeding grounds, and in winter they go south.

Local predatory animals - dingoes, foxes and hawks and eagles - are not averse to eating the meat of the Australian ostrich, its cubs and eggs. Emu usually takes a fight, and quite often the predator is removed with nothing. In the wild, emus can live up to 20 years, and in zoos they rarely reach ten.

Brief historical background

The animal was discovered by European explorers in 1696 while traveling to the west coast of Australia. By 1788, the emus were taking over the east coast immediately after the formation of European settlements. The first description of the ostrich belongs to Arthur Philip in the book "Journey to Botany Bay" (1789).

The name of the species was formed with the light hand of ornithologist John Latham. The scientist took the name of the nearby settlements as a basis. As for the etymology of the name "emu", scientists still cannot find a logical explanation. There are several unofficial versions. According to one of them, translated from the Arabic language, the term means "big bird". Another version is associated with a specific Portuguese dialect, which also means a huge bird, which is very similar to the Australian ostrich.

Reproduction and nutrition

During the mating season, which falls in late spring - early summer, the plumage of females darkens slightly, the areas on the neck under the eyes become turquoise. For the attention of a partner, females can fight for several hours, and at this time the male prepares a nest for future chicks - a neat hole in the ground, lined with foliage.

Several female emu, partners of the same male, lay in the same nest, laying an average of 8 eggs, one per day. There may be 25 eggs in the nest and all of them remain in the care of the male. The weight of one piece is on average 800 grams.

During incubation, which lasts about two months, the clutch changes color from blue-green to purple-black. By the way, it is the male that incubates the chicks, absenting only for a short time in order to intercept something edible. During this time, a caring daddy is losing weight a lot.

After hatching, the chicks, which have a striped color, are also taken care of by the male. He provides them with food for more than six months, up to complete independence, and at this time he is extremely aggressive towards everything that can be dangerous. Even a male emu, emaciated after incubation, can kill a person with a kick, and he will certainly attack if someone appears near the nest.

Adult Australian ostriches are "vegetarians", which cannot be said about their cubs. Mature individuals feed on seeds, buds, fruits, grains, grass roots. At the same time, like many birds with a similar diet, emu ingest small pebbles and sand, which help the food to grind in the stomach. But chicks, which grow very quickly, willingly eat larvae, insects, small rodents and lizards.

Interesting Facts

• This ostrich from Australia is the second largest bird in the world.
• The female does not participate in hatching eggs and raising offspring, the male does this.
• Emu eggs can reach up to 900 grams in weight and come in a variety of colors, from black to dark green and blue.
• The length of one step of an emu ostrich is 3 meters. He easily walks up to a hundred kilometers a day in search of food.
• They know how and love to swim
• The bird has no teeth, it swallows food whole and digests it with the help of pebbles consumed after eating.
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Extinct emu species

Once upon a time there were two more "breeds" of emu on the planet, which, unfortunately, became extinct. And now photos of these birds can be seen only on the pages of educational publications or on the Internet, for example, on Wikipedia.

Black emu lived on King Island between Australia and Tasmania.Black emu is an example of the notorious "island dwarfism". Due to the isolation of the island, where there would be insufficient food for large animals, the evolution of the ostrich went down in size.

This species was darker than its continental relative, both parents incubated chicks, food consisted of seeds, fruits and algae. Europeans discovered the black emu in 1802 during the famous expedition of Nicolas Boden. Several birds, live and in the form of stuffed animals, were transported to Europe. But there were too few representatives of this subspecies, and the first settlers, who hunted ostriches and their eggs, quickly exterminated the bird.

However, the studies of birds that fell into the hands of scientists gave a lot of information for science, in particular about how the outlines of the continent and islands changed, how many years the latter were isolated, about the evolution of animal species in Australia and on the islands.

The Tasmanian emu is another extinct species. This is certainly not about the ostriches that live on the island today. Modern emus were introduced to the island of Tasmania after the extermination of the "aborigines" in the middle of the nineteenth century.

These birds were more similar in appearance to their continental relatives, almost exactly repeating their breeding cycle. True, in relation to nutrition, the Tasmanian emus differed in a more rational approach - they were omnivorous. They were exterminated, like black emus, by settlers who highly appreciated the gastronomic qualities of ostriches.

Zoo Life Story

Emus live in an open-air cage located in the Old Territory of the zoo next to the crossing bridge. In the summer, black swans are released here - also Australian inhabitants, and sometimes other waterfowl. The aviary is spacious enough and fenced off from visitors by a moat filled with water. Emu happily bathe in it. Emu in the zoo repeatedly laid eggs, but the chicks hatched only in the incubator - it is too restless for the birds to sit on the eggs in the presence of a large number of people. For quite a long time, the emus were kept with a group of Bennett's adult kangaroos, while observing the zoogeographic principle of exposure. Unfortunately, there were two cases when emus killed young Bennett kangaroos during their transition to an independent lifestyle. At this time, there were no shelters for kangaroos in the aviary. A winter house with an entrance covered with rubber strips did not save the animals. Later, such shelters were made and placed in different places of the enclosures, and the cases of death of young kangaroos due to emu aggression stopped. The basis of the diet of emu in the zoo is plant food - concentrated and juicy. This is rye bread, mixed feed for chickens, bran, miscellaneous grains, fruits, berries, vegetables, grass, branches, grass flour. The diet also includes animal feed - minced meat, cottage cheese, boiled egg, and vitamin and mineral supplements.

Economic value

The features of the emu make the birds quite attractive to breed. Ostrich meat has a delicate taste similar to veal, full of many useful substances. Eggs are tasty, nutritious and have a certain aesthetic value, which is why they are popular in the restaurant business. The main reason for breeding emu is the culinary one.

The second reason for breeding emu is ostrich oil, a natural moisturizer. Man has long appreciated the benefits of natural products. Preparations based on emu fat, this unique substance, are indispensable for joint diseases, getting rid of skin imperfections and in many other areas.

Ostrich leather and feathers are popular in arts and crafts, fashion accessories, handbags, shoes and wallets.

After the notorious Emu war, the 1932 military operation to destroy these birds, making devastating raids on the grain fields of farmers, and the subsequent permission for uncontrolled shooting of emus, the number of wild ostriches was significantly reduced.In recent years, the Australian government has been trying to restore the amount of emu in nature. Therefore, all farmers who breed ostriches must be licensed by the government and carefully monitor the protection of wild emus.

Platypus

photo of a platypus An unusual mammal is very similar to a beaver. There is in him something from a duck, as well as from a mole. Until the 18th century, everyone who had never been to Australia did not believe in the existence of the platypus. The description of this beast looked too outlandish.

platypus photo

Platypuses are known as excellent swimmers. They are capable of laying eggs in order to hatch young. Platypuses do well on land too. There they feed their offspring with milk, so they are classified as mammals, and not amphibians or reptiles.

Camel

camel photo
In the 19th century, settlers brought camels to Australian lands. To date, their number on the mainland has reached 50 thousand individuals. Australian camels are long-lived. Their life span can reach 50 years.

photo of one humped camel

Together with the hump, the growth of the camel is more than 2 meters. While running, these mammals are capable of speeds up to 65 km / h. The fat in the hump makes the beast resistant to heat and drought.

There are only two main types of camels all over the world. The Australian territories are home to one-humped animals called dromedaries by biologists.

Asiatic buffalo

photo of an asian buffalo
The Asian buffalo was introduced to the north of Australia at the end of the 19th century. Their habitat became banks with stagnant reservoirs or rivers with slow currents.

Buffaloes are herbivorous mammals. They eat aquatic plants in shallow water, as well as some meadow grasses. Females and males differ not only in the size of the proportions, but also in the horns. So the horns of males can grow up to 2 meters.

Buffaloes live for a relatively long time - up to 25 years. Their population in Australia is so large that the vital activity of buffaloes begins to harm nature. They trample pastures, disrupt the ecosystem of reservoirs, eating up to 70% of plants there, thereby depriving some amphibians and fish of their natural home.

Black snake

photo of a black snake
For a person, the bite of a black snake is not fatal, but you cannot envy its victims in nature. Snakes with black color live in the east of the Australian lands.

photo of a black snake

The body length of one snake can reach 2 meters. Such cold-blooded hunt at night, eat frogs, insects, lizards and other snakes.

black swan photo

Black swans live in Australia in large and small bodies of water. These swans have red beaks with white tips. One individual can weigh up to 9 kg, and the wingspan of a bird can be 2 meters.

black swan photo
Black swans live in pairs. Their life expectancy can be up to 40 years. Males and females are very similar, sometimes males are larger than females, but this difference is not always manifested.

Wombat

photo of a wombat
A real Australian exclusive is the wombat. The animal does not live anywhere else, except for this continent. Wombats live in underground burrows that look more like labyrinths.

These mammals have brains that are larger than those of all other rodents. This advantage gives them the ability to plan their underground communications.

The nocturnal lifestyle of wombats takes place on the surface. During the day, hamster-like rodents sleep in burrows. The length of one wombat can reach 120 cm. Its weight is also impressive - 40 kg.

photo of a wombat

Thanks to evolution, wombats are endowed with one interesting feature. Their rear torso has thick, almost armored skin. Nature has rewarded wombats with this armor so that the predator could not bite their butts when they burrow into their hole.

Kangaroo

photo of kangaroo
The true symbol of Australia is the kangaroo.Several species of these animals are found on the territory of this state. For example, there you can find small wallabies, as well as "classic" large individuals.

photo of kangaroo

Larger kangaroos can weigh up to 90 kg. Their height sometimes reaches 1.3 meters. Females are endowed with a belly pouch where they carry their babies after birth. Mammals live up to 27 years. They live where drought and heat reign. Although kangaroos can swim too. Kangaroos are classified as herbivores. Today, their numbers are under threat, so the Australian authorities are limiting hunting for this species.

Flying fox

photo of a fox
Foxes were brought to Australia in 1855. These placental mammals have taken root well on Australian lands, and have multiplied on them in sufficient numbers to independently reproduce their population.

photo of a fox

The fox belongs to the canine family, is omnivorous, lives on average up to 5-7 years. This animal lives on hills and slopes, in the steppe and sparse forests.

photo of flying fox

The strange-looking creature has thin leather wings. Outwardly, the flying fox resembles a mixture of a fox and a bat. The beast hunts insects at night, and during the day it sleeps on a tree with its head down.

photo of flying fox

Flying foxes flew to Australia from neighboring islands. They chose to live in the humid Australian forests. They can also be attributed to the group of placental mammals that live on this continent.

Nambat

photo of nambata
The beast, consonant with the name of the wombat, does not at all look like him. Nambats are marsupial mammals, which are also called marsupial anteaters.

Nambat weighs less than a kilogram. It reaches 27 cm in length. A pointed muzzle with long ears and a sticky tongue help the anteater to catch insects.

photo of nambata

Nambats live in solitude most of the time. They hunt for ants during daylight hours. They have a long and fluffy tail, and also multi-colored stripes on the body.

Koala

photo of koala

In another way, the koala is called the ash marsupial bear. The animals have an incredible ability to eat eucalyptus leaves, and the poison of the plant does not harm them in the least.

photo of koala
With the help of large and sharp claws, the koala climbs trees. This animal spends its whole life on large and small branches. Koalas live in groups. It is extremely rare to drink water, as they get everything they need from eucalyptus leaves. With their large black nose, the animals recognize those parts of the plant that they can safely eat.

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Tasmanian devil

photo of Tasmanian devil
Another endangered species is the Tasmanian devil. It is also found only in Tasmania, although it was previously distributed in the forests of Australia. The beast got its nickname because of its evil disposition.

Tasmanian devils grow to the size of an average dog. They can weigh up to 12 kg. The decline in the number of devils is due to human activity and a number of viruses to which they are especially sensitive.

photo tasmanian devil

In the struggle for food, Tasmanian devils are on the same natural line with martens and dingo dogs. Therefore, larger predators mercilessly exterminate devils on the way to expand their hunting grounds.

photo of australian echidna

Unusual mammals have a black coat with a white stripe on the chest. Their head resembles a rat, and their body looks like a bear. This animal lives on average up to 8 years.