The emu is the second largest bird in, terms of height, in the world after it's close relative the ostrich and is common over most of mainland Australia. The emu can grow to 1.9m tall and weigh around 48kg. Like all ratites the emu cannot fly but it has powerful legs that enable it to travel great distances at speed, at a sprint the emu can reach 30mph. Emus live between 10 and 20 years with those in captivity being able to live the longest. Emus will forage for food and eat seasonal plants as well as insects and larvae. Emus require stones and pebbles to aide the digestion of plants and will swallow them to help grind up food in the stomach. Emus have been know to have as much as 0.75kg of stones in their gizzard at one time. When breeding it is the male who will build a rough nest on the ground, a female after mating may lay 10 and 20 eggs in the nest. The male will stay to incubate the eggs and will not eat for the eight weeks of incubation surviving only on his body fat. The female sometimes stays to help defend the nest but more often will go and mate again laying eggs in another nest. Newly hatched chicks are ready to leave the nest in just a few days and the male will stay with them for up tp seven months to defend them and teach them how to find food. Thanks to it's low fat meat, oil and leather the emu is now a farmed animal. In Australia farming is licensed and all farmed animals are captive bred to protect the wild population.

Click here to adopt this species