Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
The emu (/ ˈ iː m juː /; Dromaius novaehollandiae) is a species of flightless bird endemic to Australia, where it is the tallest native bird. It is the only extant member of the genus Dromaius and the third-tallest living bird after its African ratite relatives, the common ostrich and Somali ostrich .
Bird anatomy, or the physiological structure of birds' bodies, shows many unique adaptations, mostly aiding flight.Birds have a light skeletal system and light but powerful musculature which, along with circulatory and respiratory systems capable of very high metabolic rates and oxygen supply, permit the bird to fly.
Like the ostrich, it is a fast-running, powerful bird of the open plains and woodlands. Also native to Australia and the islands to the north are the three species of cassowary. Shorter than an emu, but heavier and solidly built, cassowaries prefer thickly vegetated tropical forest.
Some Australian fossils initially believed to be from emus were recognized to represent a distinct genus, Emuarius, [a] which had a cassowary-like skull and femur and an emu-like lower leg and foot. In addition, the first fossils of mihirungs were initially believed to be from giant emus, [b] but these birds were completely unrelated.
Brains of an emu, a kiwi, a barn owl, and a pigeon, with visual processing areas labelled. The avian brain is the central organ of the nervous system in birds. Birds possess large, complex brains, which process, integrate, and coordinate information received from the environment and make decisions on how to respond with the rest of the body.
The birds’ owner, Sam Morace, took to social media to plead with locals for their patience, saying: “For everyone that keeps seeing an emu, yes it is mine. There are 2 of them out.”
Skeletal mount (note damaged skull) Presently, most authorities consider the southern cassowary monotypic, but several subspecies have been described. [3] It has proven very difficult to confirm the validity of these due to individual variations, age-related variations, the relatively few available specimens (and the bright skin of the head and neck – the basis upon which several subspecies ...
Two large emus on the loose in South Carolina ruffled the feathers of locals a week after dozens of monkeys escaped from a research facility in the Palmetto State.