Referred Species: D. novaehollandiae (Emu, extant), D. ocypus (extinct)
Now we’re on to our final ratite – remember, Cassowary was done earlier (but I’ll reblog the post soon) – the Emu! The Emu is an Australian ratite that is not endangered – and, indeed, is found all over Australia today and oftentimes in many zoos. It’s also often tamed and reared for food, feathers, leather, and oil, and even can be reared as pets (though, don’t do that lightly, talk about a high-maintenance dinosaur).
Current range for Emus, by Sémhur, CC BY-SA 4.0
The first fossil record of emu relatives appear in the Miocene, though these early fossils known are not able to be given their own name. These remains come from the Waite Formation and the Camfield Beds Formation of Australia, dating to as old as 16 million years ago, in the Burdigalian of the Miocene. Of definable species, one extinct species is known, D. ocypus, from the Pliocene. Many extinct subspecies are also known – such as the Kangaroo Island emu, which was significantly smaller than current emus and went extinct due to human activity. The King Island Emu was also smaller than the mainland Emu and also went extinct due to human activity, as did the Tasmanian Emu subspecies.
Size Comparison of the Mainland Emu (center) and the King Island Emu (right), with a person (left), by Tim. H. Heupink, Leon Huynen, and David M. Lambert. CC BY 2.5
Today, the Emu is the second tallest bird in the world, right after the Ostrich. they can be between 1.5 and 1.9 meters in height, and between 1.4 to 1.64 meters in length. Females are usually bigger and wider in the butt region than the males. They still have wings, though vestigial and rarely seen, and the wings have small claws at the tip. They have long necks that honestly are longer than you probably have given them credit for, and long legs, and they’re able to run at 48 kilometers per hour, facilitated by their three very well defined toes on their feet. They have extremely strong pelvic muscles as well which gives them strong walking and running abilities.
By FunkMonk, CC BY 3.0
Emus have pale blue necks and heads with dark, shaggy, and thin plumage on their neck and head. They have long, shaggy brown feathers throughout the rest of the body, with unique double-rachis feathers. Each sex looks similar to each other. They can vary the exact brown spotting and patterning in their plumage to resemble their environment, giving them good camouflage, and they change their plumage color depending on environment. Since they live in a variety of regions including arid habitat, savannah, woodlands, and even near human areas, as well as the east coast (though they are more rare there), this is a useful ability to allow them to blend in no matter where they end up.
By Joseph C Boone, CC BY-SA 4.0
The emu form breeding pairs during December and January and stay together for up to 5 months at a time, staying within a small breeding territory which they defend from other Emu. They put on weight during this season and then mate between April and June, depending on the climate. The males then construct nests out of hollows on the ground, where the emu has a clear view of the surroundings and can look for predators. The females court th emales initially, changing their plumage to be slightly darker, and the male will stretch his neck and erect his feathers before dancing together and mating begins. The female will store sperm from the male and mate every day for a few days, until eggs are laid. They lay large, dark green eggs, of varying clutch sizes (though one deposition of sperm can fertilize up to 6 eggs).
By Ikai, CC BY-SA 2.5
The male incubates the eggs, and he doesn’t leave the eggs at all – he doesn’t eat or drink or defecate and he only stands to turn the eggs, about ten times a day. He looses a third of his weight during this time and survives on stored body fat and morning dew during the eight week incubation periods. The female, however, leaves, and the male takes care of the eggs on his own. The female may return to defend the nest, but most just leave completely. They actually then mate with other males and can nest as much as three times. The male stops incubating the eggs right before hatching, and the newly hatched chicks are very active and can leave the nest within a few days.
In the Public Domain
These babies have distinctive brown and white stripes on their body that helps them to camouflage better, keeping them safe for their first three months of life (when they develop adult-style brown plumage). The male then guards the growing chicks and helps to teach them to find food for up to seven months, at which point they are fully grown. They stay together for another six months or so, at which point the young split up for their second breeding season to make chicks of their own. The father defends the baby emus as they grow as well, and he will be aggressive to any emu that approaches (and any animal that approaches), including the mother, and he’ll envelope the young with his feathers at night to help keep them warm.
By djpmapleferryman, CC BY 2.0
Emus mostly forage during the day and eat a lot of different types of plants such as grasses, Acacia trees, and Casuarina Trees. They’ll also eat insects and some other arthropods for protein in addition to plant material. They also will occasionally feed on fruit and human crops, however they’re very important for biodiversity in spreading seeds from plants around via their poop. They will swallow gizzard stones to help grind up food in their stomachs. They don’t have to drink very much, only about once a day, though they often drink a lot when they can and can be forced to go without water for many days given the arid nature of their Australian habitats.
By Benjamint444, GFDL 1.2
They spend the rest of their day when they’re not eating preening, dust bathing, and resting. They live in groups when it’s not the breeding season and some will serve as watchers for danger while others forage and then they switch. They can swim, but they tend to avoid it unless they need to. They sleep at night, though they wake up periodically throughout. They first squat on the ground and are drowsy but alert enough to sense danger, before fully falling asleep and drooping their necks close to their bodies. Their feathers help to direct rain towards the ground as they sleep, keeping them warm, and they also make them look like dirt mounds, keeping them safe. They sleep about 7 hours a day. They make a variety of sounds including booms, grunts, and hisses, depending on mood and situation.
By William Warby, CC BY 2.0
They pant to help to maintain their body temperatures on hot days and they use their lungs to cool their bodies. They have very few natural predators today, though in the past the Thylacine, giant lizards, and other large marsupials probably hunted them. Today, they mainly have to worry about the Dingo, which try to kill the young by attacking the head. The emu will then jump into the air and kick and stamp at the Dingo when it lands. However, Dingos don’t heavily influence Emu populations. Wedge-tailed Eagles also can hunt the Emu by swooping rapidly down and aiming for the head and neck, and the only way Emu can escape is by running in rapid and random directions.
Plot Designing 