Ten fun facts about Emus

Fact 1
Emus have long necks and two sets of eyelids, one for blinking and one to keep the dust out. They have long feet with three toes on each foot.

Fact 2
Each of their feathers has a double shaft. They run holding out their tiny wings hidden under the feathers to serve as stabilizers.

Fact 3
An emu can grow to between 5 to 6.5 feet in height and can weigh up to 130 lbs. The males are slightly smaller than females.

Fact 4
The sound made by males is similar to a pig’s grunt while females make loud booming sounds.

Fact 5
Emus require water every day. They use their lungs as evaporative coolers in hot weather. In cool weather the multiple folds in the nasal passages are used to recycle air and create moisture for reuse.

Fact 6
Emus breed in cooler months and pair in summer. Females lay large eggs weighing about a pound each. The male sits on the eggs to incubate them when the female is busing laying more eggs.

Fact 7
They feed on flowers, berries, grains, insects soft shoots and grubs.

Fact 8
These birds store large amounts of fat in their bodies and use these stores to survive when looking for more food.

Fact 9
They can sprint at 30 mps. They are solitary creatures but can live in pairs or flocks.

Fact 10
Emus can swim and cross rivers in the course of wandering.