What is an Emu
The Emu – Dromaius novaehollandiae
The Emu is the world's second largest bird.
The Emu is a woodland bird, native to South-Western Australia.
It belongs to the family of flightless birds (ratites) that includes the Ostrich
of Africa, the Rhea of South America,
the Cassowary of Northern Australia and
Papua New Guinea and the Kiwi of New Zealand.
The Emu originated from the dinosaur.
Research suggests that the Emu has been on earth for some 80 million years.
The Australian aborigines, who have long revered the bird for the medicinal
qualities in its oil, tell a story of how the world was formed:-
an Emu egg was
thrown in the air and, upon breaking up, caused the world to be born.
In the winter, the female lays six to eight dark green eggs, which the male sits
on.
He will sit for 52 days without eating, drinking or defecating.
During this time, he goes into a state of semi-hibernation:-
his body temperature
drops 2 degrees Celsius and he lives off of a 5 – 10 kg (11 – 22 lb) fat pad on
his back.
Many centuries ago, Australian aborigines discovered the health benefits of this
pad of fat, using it for skin injury and pain relief.