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The Emu is
known as Dromaius novaehollandiae in Latin. The Emus is the
second largest bird that exists and is native from Australia.
The ratite a relative of the Ostrich is the largest flightless
bird in the world. When the European settled in Australia in
1788, a subspecies of Emu that existed in Tasmania became
extinct. Usually Emus are farmed for their oil and meat in
Australia. In the past before the European settlement in
Australia there were different species of Emu. The Emu
population in Australia is estimated between 625.000 to 725.000
with Western Australia as most populated area and the rest in
Queensland and New South Wales and some in other areas of
Australia. The Emu can reach a height of 2 meters and can have
up to 45 kilos as weight. The Emu is a bird that can travel long
distances at quite fast trot and it can also sprint at 50 kms
per hour during a long period of time. The Emu can travel very
long distances to find their food, they feed themselves usually
with insects and plants. The Emu has vestigial wings. Their feet
have only three toes. The Emus are the only birds with
gastrocnemius muscles, a powerful muscle, in the back of their
lower legs. The Emus forms pairs during the month of December
and January and may stay together for around five month and the
mating period is usually between May and June. The female Emu
may lay up to 20 eggs; the eggs weigh around 700 to 900 grams.
The Aborigines and the early European who settled in Australia
used the Emus as source of food. In the Australian Aboriginal
mythology the Emu has an important place. At this time the
Aborigines used a lot of different techniques to catch the bird.
In the year 1987, in Western Australia, the first commercial
farming of Emus started. |
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