Emu

This is the second largest running bird (it therefore doesn’t fly) in the world, after the ostrich : up to 2 metres tall and weighing nearly 50 kg.

It has powerful feet with 3 toes (the ostrich has only 2 of them) and it can run very fast and for a long time.

The male is an ultra-modern dad ! It is he which builds the nest, at ground level ; it is he alone which broods the eggs for 56 days, without eating or drinking, takes care of the chicks, protecting them and raising them until they are 18 months old.

The female restricts itself to laying, in the same nest, up to 20 dark green eggs weighing between 700 and 900 grams: each egg is therefore the equivalent of about ten chicken’s eggs. The Emu is not rare: it lives in most of Australia.

It is also bred for its meat, low in cholesterol, and for its fat, which is used in the manufacturing of cosmetics.