Hi, I am an Emu. I am found all over Australia, and I am a very large flightless bird. I may not fly but I can run great distance at up to 31mph. My legs are very strong and powerful which helps me to be such a good runner. I also use my strong legs for kicking predators when I am faced with danger. I use my tiny wings to cool myself, and when I stretch them out it helps air to move around my tall body. My wings are also used to help me run top speed in any direction.
I am called a nomad, because we move around where ever there is food. We used to be hunted for our beautiful feathers, or oil, meat, and skin. Even though I am large, I come in second to the Ostrich. I am about 5 to 6 feet tall, but the female Emus are slightly taller than we males. If you ever have a chance touching my feathers, you will find they are very soft, and fluffy. I do have 2 sets of eyelids, one is for blinking and the other eyelid is for keeping the dust out. I weigh about 130 pounds.
My only predators are wild dogs, crocodiles and people. I love to eat, beetles, yummy cockroaches, lizards, rodents, flowers, buds, shoots, grasshopper, plants, and insects. I guess you would say I am an Omnivore. Females will lay 5 to 15 eggs and guess what? The male has to incubate them for about eight weeks, and will raise the Chicks all by himself. Since the eggs are very large the female has to lay one egg at a time. The Emu Chicks are active as soon as they hatch, and after three months their plumage starts looking like feathers of an adult, then they end up on their own. I hope one day you can meet one of us, If we see you first, we will come to check you out.
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