Emu: a two-minute wildlife lesson

Australia · day 5 of 7

Five facts

1. An emu's booming comes from an inflatable throat pouch. A high-intensity boom is audible 2 km away.
2. Emus can sprint at 48 km/h, and they flap their wings when running, perhaps to steady themselves.
3. Walking, an emu takes steps of about 1 m. At a full gallop, each stride can stretch to 275 cm.
4. Male emus sit on the eggs for around eight weeks, hardly eating or drinking, and then the fathers nurture the young.
5. Emus sleep around seven hours a day, waking about every ninety minutes. Their sleeping pose may mimic a small mound.

The quiz

1. How far away is a high-intensity emu boom audible?

• 20 m
• 2 km (correct)
• 200 m
• 20 km

A high-intensity boom is audible 2 km away.

2. Why might emus flap their wings when running?

• To take off in flight
• To scare off predators
• Perhaps to steady themselves (correct)
• To keep warm

They flap their wings when running, perhaps to stabilise themselves.

3. How long can an emu's stride be at full gallop?

• As long as 275 cm (correct)
• As long as 100 cm
• As long as 27 cm
• As long as 900 cm

At a full gallop, one stride can reach 275 cm.

4. Who incubates the emu eggs?

• The female
• Both parents in shifts
• The older chicks
• The male (correct)

The male incubates the eggs and hardly eats or drinks.

5. How often do emus typically wake from deep sleep?

• Every ten minutes
• Every three hours
• About every ninety minutes (correct)
• Never before sunrise

Emus usually rouse from deep sleep about every ninety minutes to feed briefly.

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