Emus / Emu Facts

• The emu is the largest bird in Australia, and the second largest in the world after the ostrich.

• Emus are found only in Australia. They live in most of the less-populated areas of the continent and although they can survive in most regions, they avoid dense forest and severe desert.

• The emu belongs to a family of flightless birds called Ratites. Most Ratites are now extinct, and only the emu, ostrich, cassowary, kiwi and rhea are alive today. 

• Emus are very docile and curious, and are easily tamed in captivity. Like all Ratites, they are extremely fast, and can travel great distances at a fast trot. If need be, they can sprint at 30 miles per hour (50 km/hr).

• They are nomadic and roam the countryside looking for food. Although they are solitary creatures, emus can live in flocks or pairs. When they form a flock, they don’t do it for company – they just all gather where food is.

This information was taken from www.planetozkids.com

At Cub Creek Science Camp we have a whole flock of Emus.  We collect the eggs that the females lay in small depressions in the ground.  The male sits on the eggs and will go for days without eating or drinking to keep the eggs warm.  We take the eggs from the nest and put them in the incubator to hatch.  Our hatching program is very successful and we have raised many baby Emus this way.  During Science Camp the campers enjoy feeding the young Emus and petting Lucky, one of our adult females that was hand raised.  The adult Emus are housed in the Barn area of the Ranch and the younger Emus are in several different areas.

More information on Emus