WEBVTT - How Do Emus Work? 0:00:01.920 --> 0:00:06.400 Welcome to brain Stuff production of I Heart Radio, Hey 0:00:06.440 --> 0:00:10.440 brain Stuff, Lauren Bola bomb Here. There are about eighteen 0:00:10.480 --> 0:00:15.000 thousand species of birds in the world. Of those EMUs, 0:00:15.200 --> 0:00:18.880 the long limbed, long necked Australian natives are the world's 0:00:18.960 --> 0:00:23.640 second largest by height. Here's the skinny on these gangly avians. 0:00:24.800 --> 0:00:29.320 Emos are ratites, meaning they're large, flightless birds with a solid, 0:00:29.360 --> 0:00:32.680 flat stern um. They're related to other ratites found in 0:00:32.760 --> 0:00:36.960 southern hemispheric locations, the ostrich in Africa, which takes the 0:00:37.000 --> 0:00:39.519 title of the largest bird in the world, the Rhea 0:00:39.560 --> 0:00:43.040 in South America, the cassowary in Australia, and the Kiwi 0:00:43.200 --> 0:00:47.680 in New Zealand. EMUs and ostriches have the most obvious 0:00:47.680 --> 0:00:51.440 similarities with their long legs and necks. They're also both 0:00:51.600 --> 0:00:54.920 very fast runners. Imus can run up to about thirty 0:00:54.920 --> 0:00:58.560 miles or fifty kilometers per hour, but there are some 0:00:58.640 --> 0:01:02.920 differences they're tos. For example, Imus have three toes. The 0:01:02.960 --> 0:01:06.720 ostrich is the only bird with just two toes. Another 0:01:06.760 --> 0:01:11.120 major difference is their wings. Ostriches have beautiful long wings 0:01:11.160 --> 0:01:15.400 that aren't always visible because they're covering their bodies. For 0:01:15.520 --> 0:01:17.960 the article, this episode is based on how stuff works. 0:01:18.040 --> 0:01:21.760 Spoke with Eric Slovak, Assistant Curator of Birds for Smithsonian's 0:01:21.840 --> 0:01:26.000 National Zoo in Washington, d C. He explained ostriches use 0:01:26.080 --> 0:01:28.280 them when they're doing a courtship dance or when they're 0:01:28.360 --> 0:01:30.880 running really fast. They can use their wings like a 0:01:30.920 --> 0:01:34.760 boat's rudder to change direction quickly, and those wings are 0:01:34.760 --> 0:01:37.840 a necessity living around African predators because they need to 0:01:37.840 --> 0:01:40.440 be able to change direction on a dime with something 0:01:40.480 --> 0:01:45.200 like a lion chasing it. Conversely, emo wings are very small, 0:01:45.560 --> 0:01:48.800 probably just two to four inches that's five to times long. 0:01:49.440 --> 0:01:52.920 Predators are less of an issue for imus. Their main predators, 0:01:53.040 --> 0:01:58.120 dingoes are easily outrun by most emu's except juveniles. EMO 0:01:58.240 --> 0:02:02.320 height averages about five points seven feet or one eight meters. 0:02:02.520 --> 0:02:04.520 Males can wait anywhere from a hundred and ten to 0:02:04.840 --> 0:02:07.920 d and twenty pounds that's about fifty to fifty five kilos, 0:02:07.920 --> 0:02:11.120 and females typically weigh about ten pounds or four kilos 0:02:11.160 --> 0:02:14.600 more than that. Their feathers are grayish brown, but lightened 0:02:14.680 --> 0:02:18.799 during the season. Chicks have natural camouflage. Their feathers are 0:02:18.840 --> 0:02:21.920 striped in black, brown and cream to blend into tall 0:02:21.960 --> 0:02:25.880 grass and foliage. During breeding season, which is during the 0:02:25.880 --> 0:02:29.320 Australian winter months June, July and August, both male and 0:02:29.400 --> 0:02:33.839 female EMUs make loud, low grunting sounds. Once the male 0:02:33.880 --> 0:02:36.359 and female mate, and the female lays her eggs in 0:02:36.400 --> 0:02:39.760 their nest low indentation on the ground lined with leaves, 0:02:39.800 --> 0:02:44.360 grass and bark, the male takes over completely. Slovak said, 0:02:44.760 --> 0:02:47.440 males sit on the eggs and do all the incubation. 0:02:47.880 --> 0:02:50.400 When the eggs hatch, they are the sole parent. As 0:02:50.440 --> 0:02:54.280 a dat myself, I loved that about EMUs. The incubation 0:02:54.320 --> 0:02:58.120 period is fifty six days and Papa Emu doesn't eat, drink, 0:02:58.280 --> 0:03:01.480 or even poop while he sits on nest. His entire 0:03:01.560 --> 0:03:05.079 focus is on protecting the eggs. When the chicks hatch, 0:03:05.240 --> 0:03:08.000 he's well ready to show down and he shows his 0:03:08.120 --> 0:03:10.960 chicks where to get their food and water. Chicks are 0:03:10.960 --> 0:03:14.000 ready to start eating, drinking, and adventuring about twenty four 0:03:14.040 --> 0:03:16.880 to forty eight hours after they're born, but they usually 0:03:16.919 --> 0:03:19.240 hang out with their dad for about four months before 0:03:19.280 --> 0:03:22.760 striking out on their own. EMUs are only found in 0:03:22.760 --> 0:03:25.680 the wild in Australia, though at some point they may 0:03:25.720 --> 0:03:29.480 have lived in Tasmania or King Island. They are wanderers. 0:03:30.040 --> 0:03:33.360 Flocks are called mobs, and they roam everywhere, from eucalyptus 0:03:33.400 --> 0:03:37.800 forests to desert troubland to sandy plains. Thanks to their 0:03:37.920 --> 0:03:42.480 ranging tendencies, relations between EMUs and farmers haven't always been cordial. 0:03:43.120 --> 0:03:47.280 In fact, in two the Australian government launched the Emu 0:03:47.320 --> 0:03:50.840 War against the entire species and attempt to control the 0:03:50.880 --> 0:03:55.160 population by killing them with grenades and machine guns. The 0:03:55.240 --> 0:03:59.480 failed war ended with only twelve emu's killed. The government 0:03:59.520 --> 0:04:02.800 installed thousand kilometer fence that's about one thousand, six hundred 0:04:02.800 --> 0:04:06.160 miles to separate the EMUs from the grain producing areas 0:04:06.200 --> 0:04:11.280 in southwest Australia. In the wild, imus are omnivores, eating 0:04:11.280 --> 0:04:14.560 all sorts of plants in season. They'll also eat insects 0:04:14.600 --> 0:04:18.480 and small vertebrates like lizards. They eat large pebbles called 0:04:18.520 --> 0:04:22.479 gaster liths to help their gizzard grind their food. But 0:04:22.960 --> 0:04:27.360 can imus be eaten? The short answer is yes. Emu 0:04:27.400 --> 0:04:29.919 meat has been a popular food source in India and 0:04:29.960 --> 0:04:33.920 Australia four thousands of years. In many places, imus are 0:04:33.960 --> 0:04:37.760 farmed not only for meat, but for oil, leather, and feathers, 0:04:37.920 --> 0:04:40.520 and the massive egg of the emu is a dark 0:04:40.600 --> 0:04:43.640 emerald green and shell color. Weighs a little over a 0:04:43.680 --> 0:04:46.200 pound or about half a kilo, and is the equivalent 0:04:46.240 --> 0:04:50.239 of some ten chicken eggs. If you've ever wondered whether 0:04:50.279 --> 0:04:53.159 EMUs would make a good pet, the answer is it 0:04:53.320 --> 0:04:56.839 depends on the person and the emu. While attacks on 0:04:56.960 --> 0:05:00.360 humans are rare and fatality is even less common, these 0:05:00.360 --> 0:05:04.359 are quite sizeable birds, fully capable of eviscerating even large 0:05:04.400 --> 0:05:08.159 animals with their big, three clawed feet. While they're friendly 0:05:08.320 --> 0:05:12.600 and inquisitive, imus should definitely be treated with respect and caution. 0:05:13.080 --> 0:05:16.000 They need plenty of room to roam and graze, sturdy 0:05:16.040 --> 0:05:19.679 fencing at least five feet or one point five meters high, 0:05:19.720 --> 0:05:23.000 commercial rat tite pellets, proper housing in the winter that 0:05:23.160 --> 0:05:26.960 is warm and covered, and proper veterinary care, including at 0:05:27.040 --> 0:05:30.000 least an annual checkup and vaccinations for things like West 0:05:30.080 --> 0:05:34.720 Nile virus. Beyond that, Slovak said, all birds have their 0:05:34.800 --> 0:05:37.920 unique personalities, and just like humans do. I can put 0:05:37.920 --> 0:05:39.960 emu in a box and say this is all the 0:05:40.000 --> 0:05:43.200 things about EMUs, but there are definitely personality traits that 0:05:43.279 --> 0:05:47.360 come into play. There's no better example of this than 0:05:47.480 --> 0:05:51.880 Darwin and Imo that lived at Smithsonian's National Zoo. Sadly, 0:05:52.040 --> 0:05:54.880 Darwin fell ill and had to be humanely euthanized in 0:05:55.960 --> 0:05:58.640 but he lived a long and very happy life while 0:05:58.680 --> 0:06:02.680 at the National Zoo. Accord into Slovak, he said, Darwin 0:06:02.920 --> 0:06:05.320 was not food motivated. He didn't care if you had 0:06:05.320 --> 0:06:07.400 a treat or not. He just wanted to be your buddy. 0:06:07.839 --> 0:06:10.400 Darwin loved people. When you came to the exhibit, he 0:06:10.440 --> 0:06:12.559 was curious and wanted to know what you were doing, 0:06:13.000 --> 0:06:15.240 if you were mowing the lawn, cleaning the pool, or 0:06:15.360 --> 0:06:23.400 changing the straw. He wanted to be with you. Today's 0:06:23.400 --> 0:06:27.400 episode is based on the article goofy looking EMUs are luggy, flightless, 0:06:27.440 --> 0:06:30.200 and very friendly on how stuff works dot Com, written 0:06:30.200 --> 0:06:32.880 by Patty res Musin. Brain Stuff is production of I 0:06:32.960 --> 0:06:35.440 Heart Radio in partnership with how stuff works dot Com 0:06:35.520 --> 0:06:38.440 and is produced by Tyler Clang. Four more podcasts for 0:06:38.480 --> 0:06:41.560 my heart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, 0:06:41.640 --> 0:06:43.480 or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.